Mr Bravehart

First off, this entry has little to do with me and much to do about some of the people who do things more for the good of others than themselves.
I belong to a cause to help raise money and awareness for trisomy 18 babies, www.ironmanforkids.com, along with a number of other people.... if you're not familiar with it, check it out, join our cause and donate if you can. I am doing New Orleans with these little tykes and their families in mind, as did a friend of mine recently. He did IM New Zealand on Saturday, and it was a personal thing as well as raising awareness and money for the cause.

David "Ninja" Njiwhan from Kokomo Indiana missed the bike cutoff last year during the miserable IMNZ we both experienced. Ninja decided he had to go back to NZ this year and settle up some unfinished business. Last year we both met Michael Hennessey, the fellow who started ironmanforkids and set a world record by doing 15 Ironman races in one year. That was incredible, but Michael is a humble, giving and unselfish man... he was doing this to raise awareness of this very sad disease that robs these families of the joy of bringing up their children. Trisomy 18 babies normally live mere days.

David thought that doing this race would only be for the kids.... he felt that finishing his first Ironman was totally secondary... and in a way, he is correct. He wanted so many times to stop, when his cleat came undone from his shoe and he had to ride with only one shoe for 20 miles while someone fixed it, and all during the run where he alternately jogged and walked through the marathon, he wanted so many times to pull out and lay down. He didn't, he just kept thinking of baby Jeremy, a trisomy baby who lived less than 24 hours, whose memorial Ninja attended, and to whom he dedicated the race. To make a long story short, he perservered in 16 hours 10 minutes, got a young kid to run the last 100m with him, and even though it was secondary... hearing Mike Reilly say "David 'Ninja' Nijawhan, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" still felt fabulous, but after all that, the sore feet, the doubts, the wanting to stop so many times.... Ninja, you're more than an Ironman, you're a hero for these kids... and one of mine.

God bless you Ninja..... from the kids

Swim, bike, run, laugh, celebrate and love

M