My bull riding career was going no where....

Ok but really....I had played soccer for 18 years and my body just couldnt take it anymore. Ive found with Training that when Im out on my bike for whatever the time that its my escape to clear my head, push myself, and bring myself to level again. Not to sound rebellious but no one can tell me what to do out there, its just me doing what I want to do. I get excited to be able to train now just because I never know what its going to bring me and thats half the excitement. I tell people all the time now even if they never plan on racing that a triathlon is the perfect place to find positive roll models. Youll find people who were once addicted to this or that, over/underweight, disabilities due to accidents, birth, sickness, and everyone of them gets cheered for like they just won a world championship of 'whatever' Youll also find people who have a dedicated lifestyle to exercise, diet, hard work and a no excuse attitude. PLUS!!! Carbon Fiber bikes are sexy and they look cool.

I wanted to be part of the community of people I admired. I didn't want to be admired but I just didn't want to feel like an outside audience member anymore because I felt that once I was doing it, I could still say the words "wow that's cool" but it would mean something different to me.
I was going through a darker period of my life due to relationship problems, increasing weight as I passed my 30s, a sedentary life that I found unsatisfying despite a decent career. Something had to happen because I was starting to get pulled into a state of depression that I didn't want to be part of.

I made a promise to myself in my 20's that when I got married I would start cardiovascular exercise because of heart problems that run in my family (my dad had a heart attack at 36, open heart surgery at 50 and 60, and 2 more heart attacks at 67. But he is still going as strong as he possibly can). Baseball, weight lifting, and beer were the main parts of my life. Got married at 29 and entered my 1st race that same summer. 10 years later I am still running and decided 3 years ago to give triathlons a shot before my kids and their schedules became too much.

Nothing, sports related, has given me the feeling of accomplishment that marathons and triathlons have. The feeling of completing a hard workout is why I keep training most days. The glow of crossing the finish line is why I keep racing. The rush of being in the present during a race when I feel like every part of me is alive and healthy is why I keep trying to maintain the highest level of fitness I am capable of. Being a role model to my children and students is a bonus. Hearing my wife, who is not into sports at all, tell her friends about what I do/did with pride in her voice motivates me to keep making her proud. Knowing my dad will be waiting at the finish line inspires me.

Triathlon completely enhances all the good qualities of life and it keeps me humble, focused, and healthy. I hope to be doing this until a very advanced age.

Before my 4th open heart surgery I decided I wanted to do a triathlon. Three months after the surgery when I was finally allowed to work out I started training. I trained for a year for my first race and DNF'ed during the swim. This motivated me even more and made me look at my previous mistakes. The next spring I was able to complete my first race. I really enjoy training and being in shape. I also like that I can learn from every race to better prepare for my next race.

For the same damn reason Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Mt. Everest. "Because it was there."

That and living long and healthy has some benefits too.

I am not, nor have I ever been, an endurance athlete. Past my rugby days I found that mountain biking was the only way I could stay in shape. I was a good swimmer so thought about putting the two together...

I kicked off my first tri registering for an Xterra and was sorta laughed at... I did it and realized I felt like an olympian. It was my time, and unbelievably rewarding.

Now, I bought a road bike (paid a bit too much :-)), and plan on doing a series of races in 2009.

Overcome, your Trifuel name is perfect. Good for you.

Great question.

I was basically a runt in high school so I have no athletic background but have always been active. I went to Gonzaga on an Army ROTC scholarship and half way through school I realized that if I just ran faster, I could be a good runner (sounds simple right). After that I realized that I was a decent runner. And that was pretty much the extent of my cardiovascular exercise in school.

After graduating from school and completing my Officer Basic Course, I moved to Fort Hood, TX and my first day at work we got orders for Iraq. Long story short, I spent two years in Iraq over the next four years while in TX.

Next thing I knew I was free of the Iraq war for a while and enjoying the Colorado lifestyle. But something was missing. Making it through two years in Iraq can change a man/woman. While in my mid 20's I had seen and done more than most in their lifetime. If you are a war veteran, you understand, if you're not, there's no way you can. I had a hard time with this b/c once I got away from all of my buddies from Iraq, I found that there was something missing. I was so use to living on the edge that I really had a hard time adapting to a "normal life." My wife hates to hear it, but I felt comfortable over in Iraq.

So last summer I realized that I needed something to fill the void that I felt since I no longer had combat to push me. I started running more just to get away from the cubicle. My boss (a Marine) was training for IMKY and I was extremely impressed. So at some point I said, "Hey, I should do a triathlon." Next thing I knew I was signed up for Boise 70.3 and I haven't looked back.

Going through Iraq taught me to live life to its fullest. It also made me realize what is important in life. To me that is always pushing myself to be the best, regardless of what I am doing and to never take a day for granted. Triathlon gives me the opportunity to push myself further than I ever imagined. Its an outlet for a desire to never slow down and to always live life to its fullest.

Well, I'm an ex-college ski racer...and have been involved in athletics since I could walk. If anything, I am a jack of all trades in the sports world...figure skated when I was young until I fractured my back and could no longer do it...ski raced all over the U.S. and parts of Europe through high school and college...ran track...and have always swam recreationally. So...here I am, a few years out of college, and I found triathlon as an outlet. I already run and swim...and cycling was easy to pick up. I am the perfect triathlete! I am decent at all three disciplines so I manage to place alright...yet I don't blow any one out of the water (literally) on any leg. It has become a daily obsession actually...I love having a goal, and it gives meaning to every day of my life. It keeps me healthy and strong. I love tri-people because they are so friendly and supportive!

(By the way, I am new to the site. I have only done a bunch of sprints...have been moving around so training for anything longer has been difficult. I am now in New Mexico, and staying for a while, so I'm thinking about a 1/2 Iron next summer.)

nothing too inspiring for me. im a former collegiate soccer player and just wanted to stay in shape so i started running. running got old so i started to cross train. i saw a flyer for a sprint tri at a local half marathon and told myself i was going to do it. 3 months later i finished my first tri and have been addicted since. the three disciplines offer an endless opportunity to train and improve your skills. i especially enjoy training long as it offers me a time of reflection unlike anything else. after a 2 hour run or a 4 hour ride, my mind is totally clear and i feel amazing.

also, i have never met a jerk within the sport, pro or amateur.

Started because of an article in Phoenix newspaper about a triathlon to honor Pat Tillman, who did triathlons in his NFL offseason before he decided to join Army. Thought that doing 750m swim, 20k bike, and 5k run would be easy but also get me back in shape. Getting back in shape was not easy and I was not a very good swimmer. The feeling of accomplishment at the end made we want to keep going. Three and a half years later I am still going strong and happy I am now in the best aerobic shape of my life.

My story is pretty basic as well, nothing too terribly inspirational.

I used to be a chubby out of shape kid in HS, but was always competitive in nature and wanted to do well in sports. So, after freshman year, I decided to start running with my dad and sister b/c I was sick of being heavy and out of shape. I had done this previously in 7th or 8th grade and couldn't stick with it, but this time it clicked. I tried out for baseball the following spring and failed, but I had so much fun in the training/tryout process I knew I had to play a competitive sport again. That's when I turned to CC. I ran junior and senior year and nearly made my school's state team as an alternate my senior year, I was improving a lot.

As I went to college, I knew I wasn't competitive to that level so I looked for another club outlet to get my competition from. That's when I found rowing. I dove in head first and loved it. Never had I found a more hardcore group of people. Everyone was mostly quiet and miled mannered until you either gave them an oar (or a beer). Then, they would do whatever it took to win, and we worked so hard that we felt we earned our parties, so took full advantage of those too.

In my sophomore year, I was looking for some runs to stay in shape in the off-season and my dad suggested a sprint tri to train for throughout the summer and to race in the early fall. My sister had a swimming background and we all had running backgrounds at this point. My dad and I figured we could work hard on the swimming so as to not drown, and we all figured biking would be easy enough. So, we showed up and did our first race on our comfort hybrid bikes with incredibly slow bike splits...but got to pass people in the run....and loved every minute of it. The support is unlike any other sport I've ever been involved with and the feeling of accomplishment is great.

The next summer, "to stay in shape in the off-season", I signed up for 6 tris ranging from sprint to HIM...and the rest is history

Thanks for sharing...some of these other stories are pretty amazing.