In honor of the Blazeman: 1971-2007

If you follow triathlon, especially the "big" race in Kona, Hawaii the last two years, no doubt you would know the story of Jon "Blazeman" Blais. On May 2, 2005, Jon Blais was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. As a teacher (and a triathlete) in all aspects of his life, he wanted everyone to know that 70 years after the passing of Lou Gehrig, very little has changed for those with ALS. After being diagnosed with ALS, Jon Blais went on to do the Kona Ironman race in Hawaii that same year. The following was taken from an article at Competitor.com regarding his Ironman experience:

In his prime, Blais would have swam the 2.4 miles in about 1:05. He was hoping for 1:30. Instead he went 1:50 because he was only able to use one arm and his body was cramping badly. On the bike he couldn’t get out of the saddle, his upper torso felt like a brick and his quads and calves were seizing up with every turn of the pedals. At the turnaround in Hawaii, a race official told him that he wasn’t going to make the 5:30 p.m. cutoff time for the bike.
“I had just opened my special needs bag,” he laughs, “so I chucked my banana bread at him. There was no way I was going to miss that cutoff.”
The NBC camera crew that had been following him earlier had disappeared, as his chances of starting the marathon continued to dwindle.
“They took off,” he remembers. “They gave up on me and went to film another story.”
Fortunately, Blais doesn’t believe in giving up — on the kids he teaches or the dreams he’s living. By mile 80, he was back on pace and the camera crew was there to capture him finishing the bike and starting the marathon with his parents, 20 friends and the entire world there to witness a miracle in the making.

Before the race, Mike Reilly, the voice of the Ironman, had asked Blais what he was going to do at the finish line. A handstand? A cartwheel? A Greg Welch-style leap? But Blais told Reilly that he didn’t know if he was going to finish and that Reilly might have to log roll his sorry butt across the line.
So when he approached the line, that’s exactly what The Blazeman did. In the same way he has dealt with his disease, he proudly took his time, dropped to the ground and log rolled ever so slowly towards the finish of the race and ever closer to the finish of his life.
He savored every second of the journey. To the very end he will be the teacher. He is teaching us all about a disease that is insidious and totally ignored. He is teaching us how to handle adversity. But most of all he is teaching us to never, ever give up.
“You can choose to be pissed off, or pissed on,” he laughs.The Blazeman, as always, chooses the former.

Greg and I watched this story, and it was really impressive, but I don't think it really hit us until the following year. He did it. He completed 140.6 miles in 17 hours. The guy must not have been THAT bad off. Right?

I don't think my husband will be overly embarrassed if I let it be publicly known that we watched last year's Ironman and we both cried. Not little wimpy, I hid it before you saw it sneaky tears--I'm talking, go get the Kleenex box and make a pile on the floor Kleenex. The same man that finished an Ironman the previous year was in a wheelchair and could barely talk to the media the following year. There was a tremendous amount of publicity, and the story was the type that you never forget. Apparently, there still is no cure for the disease. Once diagnosed, a person has 2-5 years to live. Jon Blais has done much to educate others on this debilitating disease. You can learn more about him and his cause at http://www.alswarriorpoet.com/. Jon Blais died Sunday, May 27, 2007. May God welcome this fine man to heaven and declare him an Ironman as he enters. Rest in Peace Blazeman.