Coming Full Circle

So this weekend is my first race: the Olympic distance triathlon. One year ago, my mission was simple - to run an Olympic distance triathlon to raise money and awareness for the fight against school bullying. At the time, the idea of doing an Oly was beyond comprehension for me. I proved to myself that I could do it, one stroke at a time, one hill at a time, one step at a time. And along the way, I remembered the kids that I was running for.

And here we are, one year later, on the verge of my planned 5 Races in 5 Months Challenge starting with the race that I thought was beyond comprehension last year. It's not an accident that I'm doing the Oly right out of the gate. I'm starting off where I ended because there is nowhere to look but forward. And now, a Half Ironman and a Marathon are the impossible feats though I'm attacking them with a different spirit.

I'm running this race this weekend for those kids like Derrick Martin and Constance McMillan who endured really hard years last year. They wouldn't deny or compromise who they were. They refused to live in any other world than what they envisioned for themselves. And they paid dearly for it. But the price of growing up is repaid when we realize that the toughest thing that we endured in the past allows us to climb even tougher hills now and in the future. And that what we thought was impossible last year now seems easy.

GLSEN wants to eradicate those impossible roads of bullying to clear the path to a happier and healthier education for all students. You can help GLSEN and kids like Derrick and Constance by helping me raise money for them. Click the donate button on the right or go to https://my.glsen.org/leschke