Greg Clarke is a Triathlete
They threw everything at him and he still made it.
I got the call on Saturday night after arriving in Chicago. I was going to the market across from the Doubletree Hotel (near the Drake). I knew they would have Bannanas and some form of bread, my standard pre-race meal. The place is run by four Pakistani guys who always stand in the same order behind the counter.
So the phone rings and it is Greg. Now people sound strange to me when I am on a cell phone. They sound stranger still when we are both on cell phones. Taking that into account, I can say that Greg sounded like he was calling me from the afterlife. A kind of slow drawl that only comes from the near dead and stroke victims.
It turns out he had been sick and had not eaten since Wednesday. Now to make matters worse Greg had a late start time which usually means more heat and sun. He would not begin his swim until 9:13
I gave Lisa the "Oh, Oh--Houston, we have a problem look".
By the time I started the next day at 7:57 Greg was still not on site.
Sure enough, he made it to the start on time though. He sailed through a 41 minute swim. Very good. Then off on the bike. The course is flat but north to south wind had been picking up all day making it a slogfest on the part of the course that goes from Chicago near the Loop out to the city limit and back. This leg we do twice.
Greg tackled it though and then off on the run.
Here's where things turn interesting. It is really hard to run after biking. No--I know you believe that it is hard, but is is still harder than you think.
I was finished because I got an earlier start so I was able to sit with Lisa and wait for Greg near the finish. Lots of people in various states of exhaustion coming by. Finally we see Greg. Lisa and I are screaming and he goes right by without noticing us.---"Houston, we have a problem". Now how do I explain to Ohio Heart that I talked one of their partners into this.
So Lisa and I run up to the finish area. Partly, I wanted to see if he needed to go to the medical tent. There he is with his family taking pictures and laughing. He looks great. What kind of transformation took place at the finish line? Even later at the victory party, to celebrate the $550,000 raised at the event, he still looks great. What a machine.
An amazing display.
If you go to the Chicago Tri Link and follow to the athlete alert system you can actually see videos of both of us crossing the finish line.
Greg's page is still up for anyone who wants to check it out and make a donation.
So why would a guy race, while sick, through what is a pretty grueling distance? Answer---because he cares. Story----when I got home I checked my email and had a message from a triathlete friend. She congratulated me on finishing (Hard to keep secrets in the internet age) and then told me about a 25 year old, Iraq war veteran guy just diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
This is why we race!!!!!!!
Greg Clarke is a triathlete.
I got the call on Saturday night after arriving in Chicago. I was going to the market across from the Doubletree Hotel (near the Drake). I knew they would have Bannanas and some form of bread, my standard pre-race meal. The place is run by four Pakistani guys who always stand in the same order behind the counter.
So the phone rings and it is Greg. Now people sound strange to me when I am on a cell phone. They sound stranger still when we are both on cell phones. Taking that into account, I can say that Greg sounded like he was calling me from the afterlife. A kind of slow drawl that only comes from the near dead and stroke victims.
It turns out he had been sick and had not eaten since Wednesday. Now to make matters worse Greg had a late start time which usually means more heat and sun. He would not begin his swim until 9:13
I gave Lisa the "Oh, Oh--Houston, we have a problem look".
By the time I started the next day at 7:57 Greg was still not on site.
Sure enough, he made it to the start on time though. He sailed through a 41 minute swim. Very good. Then off on the bike. The course is flat but north to south wind had been picking up all day making it a slogfest on the part of the course that goes from Chicago near the Loop out to the city limit and back. This leg we do twice.
Greg tackled it though and then off on the run.
Here's where things turn interesting. It is really hard to run after biking. No--I know you believe that it is hard, but is is still harder than you think.
I was finished because I got an earlier start so I was able to sit with Lisa and wait for Greg near the finish. Lots of people in various states of exhaustion coming by. Finally we see Greg. Lisa and I are screaming and he goes right by without noticing us.---"Houston, we have a problem". Now how do I explain to Ohio Heart that I talked one of their partners into this.
So Lisa and I run up to the finish area. Partly, I wanted to see if he needed to go to the medical tent. There he is with his family taking pictures and laughing. He looks great. What kind of transformation took place at the finish line? Even later at the victory party, to celebrate the $550,000 raised at the event, he still looks great. What a machine.
An amazing display.
If you go to the Chicago Tri Link and follow to the athlete alert system you can actually see videos of both of us crossing the finish line.
Greg's page is still up for anyone who wants to check it out and make a donation.
So why would a guy race, while sick, through what is a pretty grueling distance? Answer---because he cares. Story----when I got home I checked my email and had a message from a triathlete friend. She congratulated me on finishing (Hard to keep secrets in the internet age) and then told me about a 25 year old, Iraq war veteran guy just diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
This is why we race!!!!!!!
Greg Clarke is a triathlete.
posted by BigWaveTom at 7:09 PM
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