This week's story
From the original Triathlon Inspires archive, while the first new finds work their way through review.
He Pushed, Pulled, and Towed His Son Through 255 Races
For 37 years, Dick Hoyt swam, biked, and ran every race towing, pulling, or pushing his son Rick, who has cerebral palsy.
Hall of Inspiration
The stories the site was built on — kept on permanent display, not buried by the feed.
He Raced 100 Ironmans in 100 Days — Then Did One More
In 2021, James Lawrence completed 100 consecutive full Ironman-distance triathlons in 100 days — then raced a 101st, breaking his own world record.
The First Double Above-Knee Amputee to Finish an Ironman
Rudy Garcia-Tolson chose amputation at age 5 to escape a wheelchair — in 2009 he became the first double above-knee amputee to finish an Ironman.
The First Woman to Lose a Limb in Combat — Then She Went to the Paralympics
An IED outside Baghdad cost Melissa Stockwell her leg in 2004; four years later she was swimming for Team USA at the Beijing Paralympics.
Refused a Lifeguard Job for Her Eyesight — She Became a World Champion
Blind in one eye and partially sighted in the other, Melissa Reid turned a rejected lifeguard application into a paratriathlon World Championship.
From Corrections Officer to CNN Fit Nation Triathlete
After years of grief and a mantra of 'keep moving forward,' Rae Timme was chosen from 200+ applicants to train for a triathlon with Dr. Sanjay Gupta's CNN Fit Nation team.
A Partially Paralyzed Arm Didn't Stop His Path to the Paralympics
A training-ride crash left his right arm partially paralyzed — Yannick Bourseaux taught himself to swim one-armed and became a two-sport Paralympian.
He Finishes Ironmans Wearing 50 Pounds of Firefighter Gear
A 9/11 first responder, Rob Verhelst runs the final leg of Ironman races in full firefighter turnout gear to raise money for firefighters with cancer.
He Pushed, Pulled, and Towed His Son Through 255 Races
For 37 years, Dick Hoyt swam, biked, and ran every race towing, pulling, or pushing his son Rick, who has cerebral palsy.
At 14, She Set the World Record for a Marathon on Every Continent
After her father died of prostate cancer, 14-year-old Winter Vinecki became the youngest person ever to run a marathon on all seven continents.
A Heart Transplant Survivor Who Finished an Ironman
After four cardiac arrests and nine months on an artificial heart, Wouter Duinisveld became one of the few heart-transplant recipients to finish a full Ironman.
A Rare Cancer Diagnosis at 32 Led Her to Triathlon
Diagnosed with a rare cervical cancer at 32, Meg Shipman found her strength to swim, bike, and run through a young-adult cancer survivor team.
A Swim Panic Attack, Two Strangers, and a Rainbow at the Finish
Diagnosed with incurable leukemia, Ruth Rickey needed a swim escort to push through open-water panic attacks and finish a triathlon in Hawaii.
The First Double-Arm Amputee to Finish an Ironman
13,000 volts cost Hector Picard both arms — he built his own bike controls from spare parts and became the first double-arm amputee to finish an Ironman.
He Missed the Kona Cutoff by 25 Minutes — Then Raised $80,000 Anyway
After a decade of failed surgeries cost him his leg, Jeff Schmidt crossed the Ironman World Championship finish line 25 minutes after the midnight cutoff.
The First Cancer Survivor to Win a Full-Distance Triathlon
Diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at 23, Laurel Wassner became the first cancer survivor to win an iron-distance triathlon.
Hit by a Truck Training for Ironman, He Came Back a Champion
A truck broke his spine, pelvis, and both elbows while he trained for an Ironman — he returned as a wheelchair triathlete and nearly won Kona.
A Breast Cancer Survivor's First Triathlon — at 62, With Her Daughters
Six months after a double mastectomy, Martha Lanier — who hadn't ridden a bike in 50 years — finished her first triathlon with her two daughters.
Diagnosed With Brain Cancer at Mile 19, She Kept Running
A popping sensation at mile 19 of the Marine Corps Marathon led to a brain tumor diagnosis — ten days after her Kona finish, she was back at work.
Run Over by a 30-Ton Truck, She Flatlined Twice — and Raced Again
A freight truck dragged her down the road and broke her pelvis; after 70+ transfusions and a five-week coma, she finished three half-Ironmans.
"Mr. Ironman": More Than 200 Ironman Finishes and Counting
A chain-smoking couch potato at 21, Luis Alvarez has finished more than 200 Ironman races worldwide — including his 100th at Kona, with his son by his side.
He Died Eight Times on the Table — Then Finished an Ironman
A near-fatal car crash took 60% of his blood and moved his heart across his chest; three years later he crossed the Hawaii Ironman finish line.
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Drafts it in your voice
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