I met Sarah at the Challenged Athletes Half IM in La Jolla a few weeks ago. She was awarded CAF's "Most Inspirational Athlete" award for 2004. See:
http://www.challengedathletes.org/caf/template.asp?ID=145 Frankly, I loved the Kona broadcast. Let's face it, I know how all the pros did already. I can only watch so much footage of people running and riding in a straight line. I learned about regular people and the things they do to get there. Sarah. Tracey Richardson. Damn, Tracey's story had real honest-to-god tears running down my face (and my wife's).
At CAF, I also got to meet Dick Hoyt and got my picture taken with him and tell him in person how much I admire him and his devotion to his child. My two sons were in awe of him after seeing him tow Ricky around the swim course in that raft.
And, FWIW, Ryan Sutter was also at the CAF Half. By all accounts, he was gracious and kind to everybody he came across. And -- the boy can ride. He went blowing by a group of us riding together and somebody mentioned it was him. We all picked it up a little to go with him. I dropped back quickly because he was hammering far harder than I could go. This was only two weeks after Kona.
(Also at CAF -- Peter Reid and Lori Bowden, although not in the same vicinity. Lori wasn't on the bill, but I saw her in transition. By the time I found a marker, the race was starting and I never got her to sign my visor.)
I have never been happier with a race that at CAF. This is the must-do-event on my calendar from now until I can't do triathlon anymore. I sat through the challenged athlete introductions before the race. Let me tell you -- it makes you forget all about your little limitations and obstacles when you see a parade of dozens of people who overcome such astonishing obstacles. A guy who was hit by a train and lost
both legs and one arm did the
SWIM! On the return leg of the run, I ran by a guy who can move but one hand. He did the full half marathon course, alone, in an ordinary electric wheelchair. A woman with a painful, debilitating nerve disease did the very hilly half marathon. In
nine hours. How many of us would keep going in a half marathon for
nine hours? Cancer survivor/amputees. Accident victims. Every imaginable way to lose a limb or the ability to walk were represented out there. We think
we suffer in a race? Come do CAF next year. Raise some money for a great cause and learn something new.