I celebrated my 80th birthday on April 10th and I am competing in my very first Triathlon of Compassion on July 16, 2006 to raise funds for the Women's Sexual Assault Centre in Victoria, British Columbia.

You may be asking yourself, "Why on earth would he want to do a crazy thing like that?"  Well, I have been a supporter of the Women's Sexual Assault Centre for many, many years.  I am aware of the traumatic impact that sexual violence can have on every area of a person's life.  It is not an easy path to go down - there is a great deal of stigma attached to the issue and survivors often must deal with feelings of shame, fear and isolation.

The Women's Sexual Assault Centre offers hope and healing to survivors and their families and friends.  They make a difference in the lives of thousands of people each year and I want to do whatever I can to help them continue their work.

My Training:

Last year I read about all of the local athletes who had helped to raise funds by participating in the Tri of Compassion and I made the decision, right then and there, that I wanted to be a part of it.  My rigorous training regimen began early the next morning.

First, I did 3 minutes on a stationary bike followed by 1 hour in a La-Z-Boy, listening to Mozart.  The next day I ran (at a slow walking pace) the 3 blocks to the corner store.  The return trip was at a reduced speed, of course, because now I was carrying almost 4 kilos of groceries, the weight-bearing component essential to us who are serious about fitness.  When I got home and realized that it was almost Sesame Street time, I decided to postpone the swimming.

There is a 10 metre pool in my condo building; I plunged in and finished a lap, but forgot the Olympic turnaround I knew so well a mere 65 years ago in High School.  As I slowly sank 3 metres to the bottom gulping chlorinated water, I saw this blinding light in a locker room; an old man in there said, "Go back up, it's not your time yet." It was Jacques Cousteau (speaking English, thank God)!  I struggled to the top and flopped my Ironman body into the hot tub, satisfied that I had completed my training for the Triathlon.  I DID IT MY WAY!!

RACE DAY - July 16th          As you may have figured out, I am not competing in the Triathlon in a conventional way.  I will be at CFB Esquimalt on the day of the race and I will be proudly cheering on all of those able-bodied athletes who have been so diligently training and who are there providing their support for a wonderfully worthy cause. 

My La-Z-Boy will be faithfully cushioning my bum as I sit along the sidelines and vicariously compete.  My goal is to raise $2,007 for the Centre.  I understand that they will be celebrating their 25th anniversary next year so I thought it would be a significant number to shoot for.  I would be honoured to represent all of my fellow pseudo and wannabe athletes.  I hope I do you proud and that you will join me in supporting the great work of the Women's Sexual Assault Centre.

         Let the games begin!!