Here at runladylike.com, Fridays are all about sharing the inspiring stories of fit people who motivate all of us to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday. My Friday FITspiration series profiles runners, triathletes and casual exercisers who are making choices every day to be as healthy as they can be – in both huge ways and through simple, small victories. Their stories are about the journey of transforming from ordinary to extraordinary each and every day.

Today, I’m excited to share Dan Meyer’s story with you. Dan is one of my teammates on the Team Podium race team, a group of triathletes in the Atlanta area who love and race for Podium Multisport, our local specialty triathlon store that has been lauded as one of the best in the country. Dan recently competed in a sprint triathlon in September while pushing a courageous boy with cerebral palsy named Justin. When you think your miles get tough and you can’t keep moving forward, Dan reminds us that we CAN and we should.

This is Dan’s story, which originally appeared on the Podium Multisport Blog.

“I truly love the sport of triathlon, so when I was given the opportunity through the Kyle Pease Foundation to race the John Tanner Sprint Triathlon with an assisted athlete with cerebral palsy, I jumped at the chance. This was an experience as rewarding as any race I have done. My teammate, Justin Knight, is a truly remarkable person, and seeing the race through his eyes was really amazing.

“After strapping an inflatable kayak containing Justin to my waist, we were ready to swim.  Once we got going, it felt easier than expected, and I checked several times to make sure Justin was still in the kayak. We finished the 600 meters in 14:05 (14:55 w/run to the first transition), only a few minutes off usual.

“Transition to the bike takes lots of helpers and was 7:34.The start of the bike was tough as there are some little hills out of transition that seemed much bigger with a combined weight of 375 pounds, but Justin willed me over. The terrain soon turned more favorable, and we started cruising. The back half of the course was much hillier and challenging and there was one hill that I had to get out of the saddle in granny gear just to make it over. Justin helped me up the hills saying “you’re doing fine” and “almost there” then cheered when we reached the top. Hearing him whoop when we descended fast downhill made me smile wide. I was glad when we finally reached transition after a 1:03:46 ride, averaging 12.9 MPH.

“The second transition from bike to wheelchair was slightly less involved, and in 3:40 we were off running. The first mile was around a lake on a flat, paved path, so we were cruising. The second mile begins an out and back section that starts uphill on gravel and was very tough. I encouraged runners coming back and nearing the finish with “bring it on home.” Justin picked up on this and started yelling it to all the athletes. This really made them and me smile. Later, we would say “looking good” or “keep it up.” Justin made sure to share his energy with all those on the course, and I loved seeing the other athletes light up when he encouraged them. After the gravel section, we were back on paved roads and onto some steep hills. I had to power walk up them and was glad Justin kept encouraging me. The downhills were almost too fast, and I used the brake a lot to slow down the momentum. As we neared the finish line, we could hear the crowd cheering. I wheeled Justin to the large contingent of fans from the Foundation so he could give them all high fives. We crossed the finish line in just under 2 hours (1:59:07) with a 29:11 5K, our amazing journey complete!”

Justin’s next race will be the Marine Corp Marathon in October. If you’d like to support Justin with a donation to get there, visit www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/teresaknight/marinecorpmarathon. If you or someone you know would be a great candidate to be featured on Friday FITspiration, email me at runladylike@gmail.com. 

What inspires you most about Dan and Justin’s story? What are your favorite words of encouragement to shout to other athletes during a race?