Ironman for MS
Donation protected
Little girls usually dream about being princesses; since I was a little girl, I wanted to be an Ironman. In my eyes, the Ironman Triathlon is the most challenging, exciting, and grueling competition a person could ever do. I dreamt about it for years and finally, on June 8th 2014 I competed in my first Ironman event, the Eagleman in Cambridge, Maryland. It was a feeling of great accomplishment but I left unfulfilled. The Eagleman was only HALF of my goal. Next September I would like to live out my life-long dream and become a full-fledged Ironman. This means swimming 2.4 miles in open water, biking 112 miles, and running a full marathon (26.2 miles) in one day. This is where I need help...
After competing in the Eagleman I realized that borrowing a bike (as nice as my friend was to loan it to me) was not a great idea. It was the most difficult challenge I ever faced and, I kid you not when I say I was looking forward to the 13.1 mile run that came after just so I could get off that cursed bike. The problem was not my training, nor my physical ability, but the bike itself. Another triathlete once told me, "If you plan on being on a bike for more than 5 hours, it better be comfortable to ride." A custom-made triathlon bike is expensive, something I am not capable of purchasing on my own. There is also the issue of the $800 entry fee.
Simply doing this race, and raising money to do it, doesn't sit right with me. I need a purpose, a point, so that when I feel like giving up 100 miles into the bike, before the 26.2-mile run, there is something inside me compelling me to continue. This is where the National MS Society came into play. Two of my aunts (my mother's sisters) have been suffering from Multiple Sclerosis for many years. One walks with a cane, and the other is confined to a wheel chair. It is a terrible thing to watch ANYONE deteriorate due to an illness, but it hurts more when I know these two women are strong, confident, and full of all the light in the world. I have always wanted to help but never knew how. This is how I will contribute: I will donate approximately half of the money I raise to the National MS Society. I will need money for my bicycle and my entry fee, but the rest will go to MS research to help find a cure. When I am running into my 10th hour of the Ironman, I will think of Polly & Cathy, smile, and keep going.
Please help me in my quest for the Ironman and helping to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.
After competing in the Eagleman I realized that borrowing a bike (as nice as my friend was to loan it to me) was not a great idea. It was the most difficult challenge I ever faced and, I kid you not when I say I was looking forward to the 13.1 mile run that came after just so I could get off that cursed bike. The problem was not my training, nor my physical ability, but the bike itself. Another triathlete once told me, "If you plan on being on a bike for more than 5 hours, it better be comfortable to ride." A custom-made triathlon bike is expensive, something I am not capable of purchasing on my own. There is also the issue of the $800 entry fee.
Simply doing this race, and raising money to do it, doesn't sit right with me. I need a purpose, a point, so that when I feel like giving up 100 miles into the bike, before the 26.2-mile run, there is something inside me compelling me to continue. This is where the National MS Society came into play. Two of my aunts (my mother's sisters) have been suffering from Multiple Sclerosis for many years. One walks with a cane, and the other is confined to a wheel chair. It is a terrible thing to watch ANYONE deteriorate due to an illness, but it hurts more when I know these two women are strong, confident, and full of all the light in the world. I have always wanted to help but never knew how. This is how I will contribute: I will donate approximately half of the money I raise to the National MS Society. I will need money for my bicycle and my entry fee, but the rest will go to MS research to help find a cure. When I am running into my 10th hour of the Ironman, I will think of Polly & Cathy, smile, and keep going.
Please help me in my quest for the Ironman and helping to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.
Organizer
Michelle Saltmarsh
Organizer
Baltimore, MD
