Last summer MTC athlete Trish O'Donnell asked me to help with a fundraiser she was doing. I was happy to help and put together an "MTC Coaching Package" consisting of some schwag - hat, shirt etc. as well as some coaching services for the auction. The highest bidder was someone I had heard about through Trish and her brother Tim but at that point hadn't met, Alex Franz. Shortly after the auction Alex and I got together and he shared with me that he'd decided to race IM Louisville and wanted to use the package to help him prepare. I was a bit concerned with Alex's decision because at that point he hadn't done a race longer than Sprint distance and typically I suggest doing one or two Half Irons before signing up for Ironman. But Alex was committed so I told him I would do my best to support his goal.
As the coaching relationship continued I learned more about Alex and his story, how his young beautiful wife had recently passed away, how he travelled every week as a private airline pilot. Now, almost a year later I am looking forward to being in Louisville this weekend to watch him race. I am very proud of Alex and what he has achieved as an athlete and as a person, I am not so sure that if presented with the same situation I could have responded as well as it appears he has.
Alex recently sent out this message and with his permission I wanted to share it here, I believe it helps to put things in perspective for all. Best of luck to Alex, as well as Barry Ogden, Dave Hubert, Matt Mason & Tim O'Donnell, and all the other Kansas City area athletes racing this weekend. It is going to be a great day for everyone but in reading the message below you will see that for Alex it will mean just a bit more.
Swim, Bike, Run, Remember,
Several months after Megan passed away, a great friend of mine gave me a very powerful and meaningful book about grief. The name of this book is “Riding with the Blue Moth”. It was written by Bill Hancock, whose son was killed in an airplane crash in 2001. (This accident took the lives of 11 members of the OSU basketball team, and staff). In summary the book is about a fathers’ struggle to deal with the loss of his son. He decides to deal with the tragedy by riding his bike from the West coast to the East coast. He began the ride with the idea that he was going to physically beat his grief into submission. Somewhere along the way he realized that he can’t “beat” his grief, but must learn to live with it. I read this book while training for my Ironman, and through it I learned the same lesson.
The most difficult emotional and physical challenge that Megan faced was her fight with cancer. As you all know through her writings, she handled that challenge with an incredible amount of “guts”. She always worried more about her family, friends, and me, than herself. Christmas 2008 comes to mind. Megan knew that her fight was at an end. She was in great pain, basically bed ridden, and yet, she got out of bed, opened presents, and gave every person in the room an unforgettable lesson about toughness and grace. She had a smile on her face, and her spirits were bright the entire time. Anytime I’m faced with a situation that seems impossible, I remember that Christmas morning. I picture Megan that day, a picture of mental and physical toughness and grace, like nothing I have ever seen. I was as proud of her that day as any.
Megan’s sickness and passing is by far the biggest emotional challenge I have ever faced. August 29th will be my biggest physical challenge. I know a triathlon doesn’t mean anything in comparison to a physical battle with cancer, however, it is one way that I can remember how easy I have it, and how my wife handled her physical distress with such toughness, grace, and class.
August 29 at 7:00am, in Louisville, Kentucky I will attempt to accomplish a 140.6 mile journey with my own “Blue Moth”. A 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. If all goes well, I will finish around 7:00 or 8:00pm. I plan to complete this task in memory of my late wife Megan McBride Franz. I know she will be smiling down on me every stroke, pedal, and step of the way. If you would like to support me during my journey, I invite you to head to the race. If you can’t make it to Louisville, I invite you to make a donation to Megan’s Endowment to help find a cure for this terrible disease.
Please Mail Donations To:
MD Anderson Cancer Center
ATTN: Regina Wheeler
6900 Fannin Suite 6.1000
Houston, TX 77030
In the memo line, please add:
“Megan Mcbride Franz Research Endowment Fund”
If you would like to track my progress during the Ironman here is the website:
My bib number is 1601.
Much Love,
Alex Franz
P.S. The training for this Ironman truly has been an emotional and physical journey. Here are a few of the stats:
1 Flat tire
1 Broken Bike
1 Call to my brother to come pick up my coach and I during a thunderstorm
1 Swimming Lesson
1 Missed swim due to doodie in the pool (in Canada)
1 Lucky turkey that I just missed on my bike
5 Dogs that couldn’t catch me on my bike
3 20 mile runs in 95 + degree heat
4 Countries trained in (US, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico)
5 pairs of running shoes
6 Bike tune-ups
I Trained in the following cities:
Kansas City
La Paz, Mexico
St. Louis
Washington D.C.
Las Vegas
Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil
Toronto, Canada
Teterboro, NJ
Stewart, NY
Norman, OK
Stillwater, OK
Denver
Tulsa
Palm Beach, FL
Little Rock, AR
Montreal, Canada
Queretaro, Mexico
Monterrey, Mexico
Nantucket
Dayton, OH
Pittspurgh, PA
Wichita
Ruidoso, NM
Hays, KS
Baltimore
Toluca, Mexico
Biloxi, MS
For a grand total of:
124 Miles Swum
724 Miles Run
3031 Miles Ridden
