On October 12th I will be racing in the California State Triathlon Championship in Mission Bay — birthplace of triathlon.

My goal: finish under 1:10 to hopefully finish top 5 and qualify for U.S. Nationals.

Eight months ago I tore my ACL and an operation wasn´t viable. By my 49th birthday in March, with strength and mobility training, I was what they call a “coper” — able to jog a little, ski a green slope with my kids, hit a few tennis balls, but...do we really want to just ´cope´?

With one year left to 50, I decided I don´t want to just ´try´, I wanted to excel! — for my 5 kids, my wife, my house project, and the tech companies I run and help.

I quit any alcohol. I quit yummy pastries. I dropped weight and started to improve my metabolic age and flexibility. But in May, my 17-year-old son crushed me in a race. That’s when I realized one of my other limiters was also my cardiorespiratory (aerobic) age. By July, I had matched his time to inspire him — but it actually lit my own fire. I committed to triathlon as the center of my health focus...and so did my 2 little boys and girl 11, 6 & 4!

The full cost of this mission is €5,000. Sponsors can back me personally and have their logo or message on the limited space of my aero helmet.

Your support goes directly into four areas:

• Travel & logistics: flights, lodging, local transport, and fueling up (lots of carbs!).

• Event costs & fees: registration, USAT membership, insurance, and helmet branding.

• Equipment: aero helmet, rental bike, bike computer, rental wetsuit, pedals, trisuit, bike and run race shoes.

• Performance support: supplements, fueling, recovery, and training while traveling.