The Genesis of Join the Race
My first Ironman was Ironman Wisconsin in 2004. I had some mixed emotions after completing the race. On one hand, I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and achievement - it was arguably the hardest thing I had ever done. On the other, I had some feelings of guilt over the selfishness of the endeavor. All of the hours of training just to cross a finish line that only benefited myself. Could this time have been better spent? I remember getting my finisher's medal and thinking it was likely my first and last.
Then in 2005, the Janus Capital Group decided to partner with Ironman for the Janus Charity Challenge, a program where they encouraged athletes to compete for something bigger than themselves and to use the Ironman to raise money for a charity of their choice. Janus awarded incentives to the top fundraisers, with the winner of the Charity Challenge receiving a $10,000 donation to the charity for which they were racing.
This concept really resonated with me, so I approached our local school to see if they would have an interest in having me compete in Ironman Coeur d'Alene to raise money for the school. Central Minnesota Christian School is a small private school located in Prinsburg, MN with a strong focus on quality education. My dad was a high school science teacher there, and my brother and sister and I all graduated from the school. When we moved back to the Willmar area in 2002, my kids started attending the school. The cost of tuition was often a barrier to entry for many families, so my desire was to raise money for a scholarship fund that would allow more students to benefit from the high quality of education offered at this school.
I approached the development director of the school to see if he was interested in this initiative. I told him I had a goal of raising $5,000 for tuition assistance. I knew it wasn't much, but I thought it was a start. The director told me he'd think about it. The next day he called and said he was all in. But he didn't want to raise $5,000. He decided to go for $50,000! I thought he was crazy! Well, we ended up raising $73,000 and winning the Janus Charity Challenge, receiving an extra $10,000 donation to CMCS for a total of $83,000. It was a good lesson for me to dream bigger than what our limited minds think is feasible.
Along with the win of the Charity Challenge came a free entry to an Ironman of my choice. And the success of the 2005 fundraiser made it difficult to stop using the tool for future fundraising efforts. And so began a series of annual Ironman competitions (sometimes two in a year) and fundraising for various charities through the Janus Charity Challenge and Join the Race. We ended up raising over $2 million from these efforts (including $93,000 in donations from Janus), winning the Charity Challenge in several of the events, until the Janus Charity Challenge and Ironman parted ways in 2010.
Training for and racing the Ironman was so much more fulfilling when racing for these causes that were bigger than myself. Swims, bikes, and runs were done with purpose and passion rather than drudgery. Thoughts of personal discomfort shifted to empathy for those for whom I was racing who were experiencing much greater struggles in their lives. The mom in Uganda whose second baby just died in her arms due to the HIV/AIDS virus. The little boy being raised by his grandparents in Malawi because both of his parents died of HIV/AIDS. The young woman who was looking for support and encouragement after facing the difficulties of an unplanned pregnancy. Racing and training now had a purpose, and this purpose helped transform me into the person I am today. While the fundraising and charity work were designed to change the lives of others, it was ironic that my life was the one that changed the most.
After Janus and Ironman parted ways, we continued with some of the fundraising efforts on our own through Join the Race for a couple of years, but for various reasons decided to take a break. For one, I temporarily retired from Ironmans after competing in Kona in 2015 just 5 weeks after experiencing severe acute kidney injury due to dehydration that sent me to the ICU for a few days. But the retirement was short-lived, as Ironman was in my blood. So I returned to Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 2017 and again in 2021 as a celebration of life.
In 2022, Mike Jr. started racing with me, and this has completely transformed the sport to an entire new level. I now get to race and train with one of my best friends. Countless hours are spent together in the saddle and on the trails. The training brings clarity of mind to both of us. While we may not solve all of the world’s problems, we at least find partial answers to some of our deepest questions about life and death while out on the roads together. And the pains involved with racing and training serve as good reminders of this gift of life that we have.
As we contemplated all that the sport has given to us over the years, we decided that we wanted to again use the sport to give back. So Join the Race was resurrected with a new mission and vision. A vision that reaches far beyond us and pulls in athletes from all across the globe towards a common goal of racing for purpose to make this world a better place. And what better place to resurrect Join the Race than my favorite place to race - Coeur d’Alene, Idaho!
It is certain to be an emotional day tomorrow as we race in our dad and grandpa’s honor on Father’s Day, raising money and awareness for one of his favorite organizations, Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. Thank you to all of you who have supported us so far. We cannot tell you how much this means to us! If you have read this post this far and are so inclined, please consider a donation to this great cause that helps men and women overcome lives of addiction. We would be most grateful.
