https://drive.google.com/file/...
GOWEN NEVER STOP TRI-ING IRONMAN TRIATHLONS AND 26.2 MILE MARATHON FUNDRAISER FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS&SUICIDE PREVENTION
NEVER GIVE UP!
3 SEPARATE EVENTS AS PART OF THE FUNDRAISER
- Half Ironman 70.3 Triathlon: Sat. August 29, 2020: completed in 7 hours 30 minutes or less (DONE)
- Full 26.2 mile marathon: Saturday September 5th, 2020: completed 26.23 miles in 4 hours, 26 minutes, 58 minutes (DONE)
- Full Ironman 140.6 Triathlon (ADDED THIS EVENT 9-3-20)(double the half): Sat Sept. 19th, 2020: to be completed in under 17 hours. (DONE)
ALL PROCEEDS GO DIRECTLY TO OURCITYCARES.ORG TO INCREASE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS & DECREASE THE PLAGUE OF SUICIDE. DONATE ANYTIME BETWEEN NOW AND OCTOBER 19TH 2020!
LPP: Love, Passion, Perseverance!
WHY IS THIS PERSONALLY TRI-ING FOR ME?
Nothing is more important to me professionally than saving lives. Increasing mental health awareness and combating suicide prevention are far more important than me completing a triathlon, marathon or anything else. This is much bigger than me and I need your help!
I have lost close friends, students, and others to the plague of suicide. The need for increased mental health awareness and the prevention of suicide and other self harm continues to increase. Never has it been more important for us to unite together, speak up, and reach out to each other to help.Each of us can make a difference 1 by 1 as we come together to battle this devastating issue. As a counselor and coach of over 15 years, saving lives has been my passion and I want to do more to help raise awareness and take action. In doing something which feels impossible physically and mentally to me with these events, I hope to inspire one or more people to never give up or stop tri-ing in life! I also want to raise some money for mental health awareness and suicide prevention at the same time! Don’t feel pressured to donate, but if you are able, your donation big or small, will go straight to ourcitycares.org which is doing something impactful about this topic everyday! Your donation will help save lives!
I started off 2020 with the goal of learning how to swim enough to complete a short Sprint Triatholon in May. I did not know how to swim at all at the beginning of this year but I made a goal, went to work and was determined to overcome the challenges that would keep me from doing this. Co-vid 19 threw a wrench into my training plans closing down pools but I did not allow it to dampen my spirits or determination. With the help and support of friends, family, and loved ones, I’ve been tri-ing my best in training, falling, and getting back up and working my way towards an Olympic Triatholon which is double a sprint distance. I completed 2 of those Olympics in July. However, I wanted to push myself even further to the deepest limits of my weathered body and soul so that I could really help inspire others and prove that we can do hard things which is one of our family mottos too! In order to encourage other people to never give up and keep TRI-ing, I will complete an Ironman 70.3 (Half Ironman) on Saturday August 29th, 2020 which doubles the distance of an Olympic Triathlon. I will then complete a full 26.2 mile marathon on Saturday October 17th, 2020 as long as it is not cancelled. If it is, I will still complete a marathon in an unofficial format. I will never give up!
It’s not about personal accomplishments, speed, or winning, etc.This is bigger than myself! It’s about demonstrating a shared passion and commitment to love, passion, perseverance, determination, hope and a never give up spirit! That’s what me and LPP is all about!
Although I have ran for about 15 years, trained for the Hood to Coast Relay, and also trained hard to complete the 207 mile Seattle to Portland Bike Ride in one day in 2018, I’ve never worked harder or trained more for anything in my life than this year for this half ironman triathlon and running marathon. Not even close! I am exhausted! I have trained, trained, and trained some more. Struggled, hurt, fallen, but never given up! Injuries, equipment malfunctions, couldn’t see, couldn’t walk, couldn’t ride. I’ve had many setbacks and will have more. I have previously and will have to overcome physical and mental challenges on this road. In addition to not being able to swim previously, I have 2 bad knees, 2 bad hips, back pain, neck pain, shin splints, raynaud's disease and the list goes on and on. But I keep fighting! I won’t give up! I don’t share that for sympathy, I share that as this has not been easy by any stretch!
As of August 28th, 2020 (the day before my first event), I have put in the following triathlon prep work this year to prepare.
Running: Ran 183 times for 187 hours and 08 minutes for a total of 997.74 miles.
Cycling: Biked 99 times for 153 hours and 51 minutes for a total of 1,977.83 miles.
Swimming(Could not swim in January 2020) swam 83 times for a total of 61 hours and 43 minutes for a total of 71.97 miles(126,667 yards).
I am nervous about taking on these huge challenges, but excited for the opportunity to persevere with love regarding something I am so passionate about. I will never stop tri-ing! Thank you for your support!
UPDATE AFTER 1ST EVENT (HALF IRONMAN 70.3)
“It’s more about what we are becoming, than what we accomplish!” I have more becoming to do!
“You only fail when you stop tri-ing!”I’ll never stop tri-ing!
8-29-20: Night of my Ironman 70.3 (half ironman)
As Stephanie and I watched the documentary tonight “Iron Cowboy” of the man who set the world record for doing the (50-50-50) 50 full ironman triathlons in 50 days in 50 different states after breaking his own previous world record of doing 30 triathlons in a year, something he said totally resonated with us.
After his 1st world record and before his 50-50-50 idea, he said “when I crossed the finish line, I didn’t feel fulfilled or complete, I knew I had more to give!” That’s exactly how I felt when I crossed the finish line yesterday of my 70.3 half ironman triathlon and reflected on it. There are more feelings I still need to feel and lessons I still need to learn and share. I have more I can give and do here! I can’t wrap my head around my confusion but I need to figure it out.
8-31-20
How can I feel fulfilled and complete about my events titled “Never stop triing” promoting never giving up, overcoming the depths of despair and pushing beyond our limits if I never experience those moments during the event and NEVER WANT TO GIVE UP? The answer is I can’t. I have to do more on this and push myself more!
I never felt like I couldn’t do it during the half! I never wanted to give up! I really enjoyed it! A big part of overcoming depression or suicide ideation, or a full Ironman Triathlon (I imagine) is that we feel like we just can’t go on! We feel like the feelings, challenges, the task at hand is just simply too much for us to handle! That's when we have to choose to persevere and fight through! I never experienced those feelings in my 70.3 half Ironman triathlon last Saturday. I always knew that I could do it because I had trained so much. I was never alone or at the end of my limits! I didn’t have to go beyond my breaking point and overcome. I didn’t have to really fight through the feeling of never giving up! That is haunting me now because I feel like that is so important with this whole platform for me. Not just in how I am tri-ing to help people mentally and professionally, but for me personally physically and mentally. I need to reach my absolute breaking point when I have nothing left and keep going. I haven’t reached that yet! Now I have to figure out how I’m going to get there!
9-1-20 (Still trying to decide whether to do the full Iron Man or not:
so torn) I don’t think I can do it! Here’s my text correspondence with my wife
ME: I can’t do it. What if I’m not enough for this? What if I fail? What about sending a message of failure to all the people I’m trying to inspire including you and the kids and myself? What if I can’t do this full ironman, I mean it’s twice the distance and time as the half!
MY AMAZING WIFES RESPONSE: “ I have no doubt you will do it“ She didn’t say may do it or can do it or could do it. She said she knows he will do it! If she believes in me that much maybe I should start believing in myself a little bit more?
9-2-20: Fear and anxiety do not define or control me. One of the things I have seen effective at working through anxiety is exposure therapy (to the anxiety/fear). Facing what scares us head on is hard, almost impossible, but necessary. I have not been afraid of doing any of my previous events: sprint, olympic, or even the half ironman. Curious if I could do them, nervous a bit since I’ve never done them, but not afraid! Doing a full ironman (15-16 hours of hard physical challenge) terrifies me! Can I physically handle it? Can I mentally handle it? I don’t think so, I don’t know! The only way to overcome the fear will be to face it so that’s what I must do. Lets do this! #bringiton
9-4-20 (I’ve bitten off more than I can chew)
I rode my trainer for 6.5 hours until late last night (112 miles?) over the course of 10 hours and I felt so weird afterwards. I felt dizzy, queasy, no energy, etc. I had been hydrating well, eating well but obviously I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m pretty nervous about it. Not true, I am terrified! I don’t know if I can actually complete an ironman! :( What am I doing?
How can I fully support and feel good about my event titled never stop triing promoting never giving up if I never experience the moments where I go to the limits of my body soul? The answer is I can’t. I have to do more! Here’s the more!
FULL Ironman 140.6 Triathlon Saturday September 19th, 2020 6:00 AM
Location: Horseshoe Lake: Woodland, WA
Swim: 2.4 miles (4,224 yards)
Bike: 112 miles
Run: 26.22 miles
Goal is to finish all 3 events in under 17 hours which includes transitions!
SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EVENTS AND OURCITYCARES.ORG
“A Champion is someone who gets up when he/she can’t!”
We are champions united for saving lives!
NEVER STOP TRI-ING (HALF) IRONMAN 70.3 TRIATHLON
LPP: Love, Passion, Perseverance!
Ironman 70.3 Saturday August 29th 2020 6:00 AM
Location: Horseshoe Lake: Woodland, WA
Swim: 1.2 miles=2112 yards (1.2 hours) (4 laps around triangle and then 1/2 way to buoy and back)
Bike: 56 miles (4 hours)
Run: 13.1 miles with the inspiration for all this my beautiful wife Stephanie (2.2 hours)
Goal is to finish all 3 events in under 7.5 hours which includes transitions!
An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half Ironman, is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting of a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run. Each distance of the swim, bike, and run segments is half the distance of that segment in an Ironman Triathlon. The Ironman 70.3 series culminates each year with a World Championship competition, for which competitors qualify during the 70.3 series in the 12 months prior to the championship race. In addition to the World Championship race, Ironman 70.3 championship competitions are also held for the European, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America regions.[1][2][3]
The time needed by an athlete to complete a 70.3 distance event varies from race to race and can be influenced by external factors. These factors include the terrain and the total elevation gained and lost on the course, weather conditions, and course conditions. Finish times range from sub-four-hour completion times by elite level athletes to the imposed race cut off, which is commonly 8 hours and 30 minutes after the start time.[4][5][6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_70.3
NEVER STOP TRI-ING MARATHON 26.2 MILES
LPP: Love, Passion, Perseverance!
Hayden Lake Marathon (Tough, Challenging, Hilly one of hardest marathons)
Hayden Lake, Idaho (10 miles north of Coeur d’Alene)
Saturday October 17th: 7:30 AM
https://haydenlakemarathon.org/
26.2 mile run
2,200 feet of elevation gain (Way too much!)
Goal is finish under 4 hours 10 minutes: 9:30 per mile pace
The marathon is a long-distance race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles 385 yards),[1] usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens, who reported the victory. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions.
The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes, as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon
NEVER STOP TRI-ING (FULL) IRONMAN 140.6 TRIATHLON (NEW)
LPP: Love, Passion, Perseverance!
How can I fully support and feel good about my event titled never stop triing promoting never giving up if I never experience the moments where I go to the limits of my body soul? The answer is I can’t. I have to do more! Here’s the more!
FULL Ironman 140.6 Triathlon Saturday September 19th, 2020 6:00 AM
Location: Horseshoe Lake: Woodland, WA
Swim: 2.4 miles (4,224 yards) (2.2 hours) (1 lap dock to buoy 2 and back=2230 yards plus 4 triangle buoy laps 2,100 yards)
Bike: 112 miles (8 hours)
Run: 26.22 miles (4.5 hours)
Goal is to finish all 3 events in under 17 hours which includes transitions!
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a 2.4-mile (4224 yards) (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.20 km) run, raced in that order. It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.[1][2][3]
Most Ironman events have a limited time of 16 or 17 hours to complete the race, course dependent. The race typically starts at 7:00am; the mandatory swim cut off for the 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim is 9:20am (2 hours 20 minutes), the mandatory bike cut off time is 5:30pm (8 hours 10 minutes), and the mandatory marathon cut off is midnight (6 hours 30 minutes). Any participant who manages to complete the triathlon within these time constraints is designated an Ironman.
The name "Ironman Triathlon" is also associated with the original Ironman triathlon which is now the Ironman World Championship. Held in Kailua-Kona, the world championship has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978 (with an additional race in 1982). Originally taking place in Oahu, the race moved to Kailua-Kona in 1981, where it continues today.[4] The Ironman World Championship has become known for its grueling length, harsh race conditions, and Emmy Award-winning television coverage.[5][6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlon
"Love is the who, what, why, and how of all things! When we develop unconditional love and use that as our purpose and guide to live by, that is when our life will truly become beautiful and joyful!"
"Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People want to tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.” -Pursuit of Happiness
"Success is based upon how many times we get back up stronger and moving forward, not about how many times we get knocked down!" -Rocky Balboa
We can do hard things!
https://trailrunnermag.com/training/how-to-pscyhe-yourself-up-to-do-hard-things.html
OURCITYCARES.ORG MISSION: UNITE COMMUNITIES TO COMBAT SUICIDE
Suicide is both an individual choice and a community problem.
The key is uniting a community’s voice to speak hope into the individual’s pain!
Our City Cares unite businesses, churches, non-profits, city governments and schools to combat the tragedy of suicide. The sheer magnitude of this problem is too big for any one entity to combat. By uniting together we can and must make a difference.
The campaigns consist of five initiatives, three community based and two faith-based.
When someone dies by suicide whole communities are impacted. The key is uniting a community voice to speak louder than the individual’s pain. Suicide does not end the suffering of one, rather it transfers and multiplies it to the survivors left behind. Our hope is that we will encourage the hurting and send a clear message that suicide is not the right answer.
A tragedy with unparalleled ripple effect occurs when someone makes the choice to take their own life. The pain and heartache it leaves behind devastates and breaks the hearts and crushes the spirits of families and friends. Whole communities of people are left with complicated grief and haunting questions. It sends a subtle hopeless message that spreads through communities like ripples in a pond. It’s often unnoticed until another makes the same tragic choice.
We believe that by uniting communities to communicate a clear message against the lies that people in turmoil believe, we can change the ripple effect. Their life does matter, they are not alone, our mistakes don’t define us. Our City Cares Campaigns exist to unite businesses, churches, non-profits, city governments and schools to combat the tragedy of suicide. The sheer magnitude of this problem is too big for any one entity to combat, but by uniting together we can and must make a difference.
EVENTS RESULTS
#1 Never Stop Tri-ing Ironman 70.3 8-29-20
71.76 miles (should’ve been 70.3) done in 7 hours, 7 minutes, 56 seconds
-Swam 2,157 yards (instead of 2,112 yards) in 56 minutes 10 seconds
-Swim to bike transition: 8 minutes 45 seconds
-Biked 56.65 miles (instead of 56) in 3 hours 41 minutes and 55 seconds
-Bike to run transition: 6 minutes 39 seconds
-Ran 13.76 miles (instead of 13.1) in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 27 seconds
Finished the 13.1 miles at 7 hours 1 minute, 31 seconds
#2: Never Stop Tri-ing Marathon: 9-5-20: Goal was to finish in under 4 and a half hours!
Completed 26.23 miles in 4 hours, 26 minutes, 58 seconds without stopping
#3: Never Stop Tri-ing FULL Ironman 140.6 Triathlon: Goal is to finish under 17 hours.
Completed 143.33 miles in 15 hours, 43 minutes, 40 seconds moving time
