Welcome to Race(ing) With Gratitude...

We are amateur triathletes who live in Arlington Virginia.  The team we train with is called Team Z.  We are  group of 400+ triathletes who have come together not only to get great coaching, but to be a part of a supportive community that has a passion for pushing the limits and breaking through to places we could not have done by ourselves.

Over the years we have been fortunate to have raced in 100+ races ranging from 5k running races up to 1/2 Ironman (70.3 mile) triathlons and everything in between.  We are always in complete aw when meeting and hearing about athletes who are out there toeing the line that have overcome physical challenges and/or adverse medical or health conditions (amputees, blindness, athletes with MS, Cancer, obesity, etc) and have incredibly inspirational stories to tell.  If anyone knows what it is to "Race With Gratitude" it's these folks.

If that phrase is new to you, here is a quick background to it.  The gentleman who coined the phrase (and no, it wasn't me), is 6x Ironman World Champion & 10x (consecutive) Olympic Distance World Champion, Mark Allen.  Out of respect for Mark and his accomplishments, I asked him if it would be ok to use the phrase.  After a quick back and fourth, here we are!

The man, the legend, Mark Allen.

To "race with gratitude" means different things to different people.  For most of us (in the world of triathlon), in it's most simple terms, it means being thankful for having successfully (and healthfully) worked through a 3-12 month training cycle & having your mind and body respond in a favorable way...stronger, faster and more capable than it was prior to your training.

Ok, so back to the real purpose for this blog.  We have two goals here.  #1 is to provide inspiration and hope for beginner and seasoned athletes that need that little extra push to get out there and get it done.  #2 is profile the athletes that truly know what it means to race with gratitude.  These are the athletes that are training, RACING WITH GRATITUDE! In support of these amazing people, we hope to help them raise a little money too for the charities they support.