Heavy Hearted Finish

Hey guys. Let me start by showing you this…

I did it. I finished the Try Charleston 70.3.  Not only did I finish, but I placed 3rd in my division. But there were only three in my division, so…

I will write a race recap in the next day or two so be looking for that.

What I wanted to tell you though, if you didn’t see on my FB page, I found at the finish line that my grandfather had passed away on Friday night. My family decided not to tell me until after the race. They did not want it to affect what I had been training so hard for.  The human in me thinks that they should have let me know. The selfish part of me is thankful that they waited.

I was already pretty emotional after finishing the most challenging physical feat of my life. But for some reason, I also knew as soon as I finished that it had happened. It was not unexpected. I knew that he was on limited time. I even had a feeling earlier in the week that I might find out during the race that he had passed.

I crossed the finish line. I hobbled up to my wife, gave her a hug, and as I was hugging her I asked, “Grandad passed away didn’t he?” She just shook her head yes. I gave all of my buddies high fives. I hugged my coach. I walked over to my bike in the transition area and I bawled like a baby.

We laid him to rest this afternoon.

My grandfather was a man of very few words. I liked to think of him as the Quiet Thunder. He was as calm as the moments before a storm. But when he opened his mouth to speak, everyone stopped to listen. His words had impact. He did not use them lightly.

I can imagine him telling me how proud he was of what I had done and how I had changed my life for the better.

I will miss you Grandad.

I want everyone to know, before I end this post, that my grandfather was ailing and in pain in the end. His passing, while sad, is not a bad thing. There is hope and I have faith that he is in a better place where there is no pain and suffering. Feel free to offer your condolences, but also rejoice in the understanding that his life impacted others positively and his faith carried him home.

I am sad. But I am also happy.

My grandmother, grandfather, and my dad circa 1953

…

Four generations – Circa April 2010

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