Main fundraiser photo

Scott's Triathlon for the Leary's!

Scott’s Journey to CHALLENGE ROTH to Benefit “United by Morgan” (The Leary Family)





Thank you for taking several minutes to read about the personal physical challenge I am taking on, as well as about the Leary family which I am supporting. Though many of you may be close to me some reading will not be, and are unfamiliar with my “back story”. I apologize in advance for the length of this letter; however, it is important to me to be to fully explain what I am doing, and about the family I am supporting. If you are very familiar with my “backstory” and the race I am about to do please feel free to jump to the ****** to read about the main purpose of this introduction letter.


On July 12th, 2015 I will be participating in the CHALLENGE ROTH (Germany) Ironman/Full Distance Triathlon. If you are unaware of what an Ironman distance triathlon entails, it is a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike, and concluding with a 26.2 mile marathon for a total of 140.6 miles. People in the United States may be more familiar with the Kona Hawaii Ironman, which is typically televised in the fall on NBC sports, but CHALLENGE ROTH is essentially the “mecca” of the sport and is run by a different Global leading triathlon company ( AKA CHALLENGE FAMILY) and it is considered the largest triathlon in the world.


Most people who finish will need between 12-15 hours to complete the 140.6 miles to be given the title of an Official Finisher! An Ironman/Full distance triathlon is known in the endurance sports community as the pinnacle of the sport and the biggest and toughest single day physical and mental challenge of an individual’s endurance. Many of you have followed me over the 5 years when I first entered this sport, and after many long hours of training I have completed this distance twice at IRONMAN LAKE PLACID (2013) and CHALLENGE ATLANTIC CITY (2014) as well as other various distance triathlons. Due to the magnitude of this event with 5500 participants and 250 thousand fans, this race will indeed be the “Superbowl” in my triathlete life.






On a physical standpoint, I will be training at times, 15-20 hours a week, consisting of a balance of swimming, biking, and running. It will not only be physically exhausting, but it will pose a challenge to my time as I continue to juggle work in my practice, teaching, and family life. As with most people who train for this race/distance, I will risk injury and as ironic as it sounds, I may at times become the patient. My family will also be making a personal and financial sacrifice while I prepare for this race as well as they will all be coming with me to Germany. Without their support this challenge would be unattainable for me, and I am very thankful.



*******No matter the personal sacrifices I have to endure to achieve my goal, my sacrifice will be trivial compared to the sacrifice and challenges many families such as the Leary’s go through on a daily basis while their child is battling cancer. I have been very fortunate thus far to have two healthy sons; many parents would trade places with me in a heartbeat to endure the long hours of training and a tremendously long race day, if they could have their child cured of cancer. Most of them will spend many hours bedside with their child as they battle this horrendous disease and make their own personal sacrifice to care for them in a multitude of ways. Many parents need to stop working so that at least one family member can care for their son or daughter while they are in the hospital or receiving treatment. We also know too well that even in a good economy this would be a tremendous financial hardship for any family to endure that needs to pay for treatment, travel expenses, mortgages, various bills or just common household necessities while they care for their child. So you can see that these challenges are indeed far greater than mine. In addition, my personal challenge will end on July 12th, but theirs will most likely continue beyond. The Leary family, unfortunately understand these challenges well.


The Leary’s are residents of my town in Center Moriches and their twin daughters Morgan and Emma share the same elementary school as my sons. Their daughter, Morgan Leary, 6 was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor on August 16, 2014. Instead of starting first grade with her sister Emma, She had to undergo several surgeries to remove as much of the tumor as possible and to control her brain pressure, as well as have had several treatment blocks of chemotherapy. Morgan, Emily, Brian and Emma have been fighting this battle this since last summer instead of attending the first grade and all the fun that comes with it, as well as spending all the Holidays in the hospital. Morgan has either been in a hospital or a rehabilitation facility ever since August 2014. I live in a great community and from monitoring their facebook page “UNITED BY MORGAN”, their friends, community members, family and co-workers have rallied in support. However, they will need continued support as Morgan continues to fight the tumor and rehabilitate herself. The initial support was wonderful but from my estimation, the Leary’s are going to need more support.


I unfortunately cannot cure cancer, but like many others before me, I can help! I have decided to dedicate my training and the race day in July at Challenge Roth(Germany) to the Leary family (United by Morgan) to help support them during their fight. I am using a Go Fund me site (linked below) to help promote the fundraising. Once set up the Leary’s will have full access to the funds collected. 100% of the money we raise will be for the Leary’s.


I thank you in advance for any consideration to financially support Morgan and the Leary’s (UNITED BY MORGAN). You can link to my charity webpage through the link below. The link will also be posted on my website. Even if you cannot contribute financially for my cause, I would appreciate any words of encouragement during the next several months or at times a “kick in the Butt” to motivate me to train harder or if you see me in Center Moriches a shout out if I am “dragging my butt” training.

Trust me, Morgan's inspiration will be on my mind during the training.

Thank you in advance for your time and your support. Let’s do this for Morgan and the Leary’s!

 United By Morgan Facebook page to keep track of Morgan’s progress: https://www.facebook.com/groups/315156921992111/
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!
SCOTT LESLIE
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Donations 

  • Maureen Hull
    • $50 
    • 9 yrs
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Organizer

Scott Leslie
Organizer
Center Moriches, NY

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