i tri because i can!

for those of you who wonder why i would get up at 4:30 am to participate in a sprint tri, and get up early every saturday to go on long bike runs, and beg for money, and and and......well, here's a poem that explains a bit about the TNT triathletes:

Why do you do it (Train, Fundraise, Compete)?

I do it for those who can’t.

I do it for those who told me I can’t.

I do it for those who think they can’t.

I do it for those who won’t.

I do it for the little part of my brain that says “you won’t go through with it.”

I do it for me.

I do it for time, distance and speed.

I do it because when the challenge ever arises I will meet it, complete it and smile.

I do it for the hills I never thought I could climb.

I do it for my teammates at the finish line.

I do it for my finisher’s pin that I wear with pride.

I do it for the mission moments.

I do if for the Honored Teammates.

I do it for the Honored Angels.

I do it because it makes me a better person.

I do it because there is no greater competitor then you except for maybe your watch.

I do it because I love the rain, sunshine, roads, woods, and ocean.

I do it because it makes me feel better.

I do it because it puts us one step closer to a cure.

I do it because it puts me to sleep at night.

I do it for the adrenaline rush before a race.

I do it for the last ten seconds of the race.

I do it to push my body to the limit and watch it deal.

I do it for the little kid in the back of my head telling him/her “No we are not there yet.”

Why not?

I do it to push my body to the limit, wait what limit.

I do it because my body yells “stop”, my mind screams “pain”, and my soul says “keep going”.

I do it to find the place where I hit a brick wall and then break through.

I do it for when my mind and body thank me it is over and my soul tells them that was just the end of the beginning.

I do it…

No one ever works out or donates their time and money and regrets it. You never go for a run, bike, or swim and when you’re finished wish you would have just stayed home. You never climb a mountain and reach the top saying, “I should’ve been content to stay where I was.”

This is for all the times people ask you why you compete, train, and fundraise and your innate response is “I just do.”

the next time you get one of those "will you please donate" emails/calls/voicemails, please think twice about brushing it off. you make a bigger impact that you know!

~danban