It Is A No for Kona 2012

Ironman announced the winners of the two remaining wildcard spots for the Kona Inspired.  I did not make it, but my friend, Fireman Rob, received the good news.  I want to congratulate him for making it.  He has stated that he will be wearing a Shawn's Anomaly patch on his fire suit for us at Kona this year.  Thanks Rob, I can't wait to see your story and watch you cross the finish line.

http://ironman.com/mediacenter/kona-inspired-winners-announced#axzz214RmPW2r

I first off want to thank Ironman and the World Triathlon Corporation for giving us average athletes one more way of making it to the Ironman World Championship.  The Kona Inspired program really helped further the mission of Shawn's Anomaly, and I will be forever grateful to WTC for that .  You help us again and again prove that "Anything is Possible".

I want to thank all of you that have supported my Kona Inspired Campaign.   Obviously it is heartbreaking to know that I will not be going to the Ironman World Championship this year, but I WILL NOT GIVE UP!  It will just taste sweeter next year.  There is not need for apologies.  Shawn's Anomaly won!  Families like Liam Lyon's won!

The Shawn's Ironman journey is not over, and I now realize that it will never be over until I get to Kona.  I am committed to getting to the Ironman World Championship for as long as it takes, and I am committed to the mission of Shawn's Anomaly for life.  If you have not done so, I encourage you to bookmark www.shawnsanomaly.org and LIKE the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/shawnsanomaly

For any you that have been inspired to say "I DO", whether it be a 5K, Mud Run, Warrior Dash, Color Run, Triathlon, Marathon, Ironman, etc., I would be honored to have you join our fundraising team.  Together we can continue to help the 1-in-30 children and families that are affect by birth abnormalities all over the world!

As for now, I am leaving up the next steps of my personal endurance journey up to God.  God knows what he is doing, and I have faith that this journey is ordained by Him.  Whatever those plans are they will always be better than mine. 

My final thought:  I just hope that YOU have gotten something out of this journey as much as I have.  I am sure you got tired of seeing my postings and my messages in your spam folder and on Facebook telling you to vote, but that is just a testimony to how much it means to me that you know what we are doing.  There are so many families out there that need help, and I don't ever want them to feel alone again.  You can help with that by supporting Shawn's Anomaly financially and getting the word out about our mission.  We are the only foundation that caters to the 1-in-30 families that have children born with congenital abnormalities.  It is a big world, and I can't do it alone.  I hope you will help me!  Please just step up and say, "I DO"!

Thank you again, and God Bless!

Kona!  I will see you later!

The Kona Inspired Results...

After a little bit of confusion, the winners of round 3 were announced early this morning.  Unfortunately, my name was not one of those names.  There is still a glimmer of hope, however, because the remaining 39 that did not win any of the three rounds still has a chance to get an invitation through 2 wildcard entries.  As far as I know, they have not announced who those winners are at this time, and the rumor is they will announce the winners on Friday, 7/20/2012.  Please continue to pray!

I could not believe the huge surge that we had of voters and support yesterday right before voting closed.  It was amazing to say the least.  There were a lot of contributing factors, including more and more people were sharing and voting for the video, people were talking it up on Facebook and twitter, and most importantly our exposure to the Houston media via NewsFix 39:

Unfortunately the surge came a little late, and we were not able to get enough attention or votes to obtain one of the top 2 spots in round 3.  I want to congratulate the 6 winners of each round:

Round 1
Annee Deering-Triathlon Is My Triumph: Overcoming Childhood Sexual Abuse
Brady Murray-Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome
Round 2
Mike Thompson-Love For Life-My Own Finish Line
Heather Wajer-Transformation through Triathlon
Round 3
BethAnn Telford-Survivor
Shay Eskew-Burning Desire

Each one of their stories are so inspiring.  If it were up to me, I think all of the top 45 stories should eventually be told.  I can't wait to see more about the winners in the television coverage of the event that is usually released in December.

Now, it would be really easy to hang my head and feel like we lost, but in reality, WE DID NOT LOSE!  Thousands of people from all over world found out about the mission Shawn's Anomaly, Shawn's Journey, Liam's Journey, and what we are trying to do to help other families.  That, my friends, is a HUGE WIN!  Thank you all that helped spread the word.  I could not have done this without you!

When I first started this journey 2 years ago to finish the Ironman World Championship, I was a little naive on how hard it is to get there.  Of course with hard work, hard training, and your support, I was able to become an Ironman on May 19th.  I felt at the time that was going to be the final chapter of this whole "Shawn's Ironman" journey, but God had bigger plans.  If I would have made it to the Ironman World Championship in the first year that I attempted this, then there would not be the exposure that we have today.  Obviously God knows what he is doing, and His hand is in the planning and decision of me not winning the invitation this year.  It has been a hard, but fun, ride so far, and I have faith that I will eventually make it to Kona!

Recently I received a message from someone who said, "I can't imagine going through what you did and what you continue to do for others."  The best way I can answer that is that I was inspired to find the phrase "I DO"!

"I DO" is such a simple phrase but it is so powerful.  Powerful enough that it is used to confirm the bondage & commitment to marriage.  We live in a world of I Can't and I Don't.  You would not believe the excuses that I have heard from people of why they Can't or Don't do something.  I don't blame them though,  90% of the world has that mantra.  Some of us get inspired enough to go from the "I Can't" to "I Can", but never get around to doing anything to make that phrase "I DO!".   The 1% of the world that has finished an Ironman triathlon, understands the phrase better than most.  They just not say there were going to do something, they did it.    You don't have to finish an Ironman to use this phrase.  I challenge you to change your life mantra to "I DO!"

I DO better those around me

I DO better myself

I DO encourage others that say I DO

I DO help those that are less fortunate

I DO test my boundaries

Are you ready?  Where do you start your journey of:

For me: I DO commit to continue to honor my son's recovery.  I DO commit to helping other families that are dealing with congenital birth abnormalities like Liam Lyon's family.  I DO commit to encourage and inspire others to get healthy.  I DO commit to spreading the word about the Shawn's Anomaly mission.


KONA 2013 campaign starts TODAY! 

Interview on NEWSFIX 39 Tonight

I was interviewed today by CW 39 reporter for NEWSFIX.  It will be on the 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm airing.  Check it out live or watching it online at http://www.39online.com/newsfix/kiah-ironman-to-save-a-little-boy-20120718,0,4373712.story 

Remember to Vote and Share!

Shadow Creek Ranch Triathlon Results & Photos

By accident, I decided to sign up for the Shadow Creek Ranch Triathlon hosted by Troika Productions. This is a second year race, and I must say that Bryan & Colette Kraham have done an amazing job organizing this race. I got to know both of them pretty well during the packet pick up because the let me pass our fliers to generate more votes for www.sendshawnsironmantokona.com. You can tell how good a race is by the people that show up for the race, and the Houston "A" list showed up to compete in this race. Here is how my day went:

As most of you understand, I started training and racing to become "Shawn's Ironman".   Shawn was my inspiration, but now I get to race for so many other families since we started Shawn's Anomaly. Liam was born with half a heart and has virtually lived in the hospital for his entire life. He is now 18 mos old. I was told about his story by a friend of mine because he was trying to get to Texas Children's Hospital for treatment from Tulsa. He underwent a heart transplant, but unfortunately he has had complications from that surgery that has lead to swelling in his abdomin and pretty much his whole body. Of course the older that he gets, the better chance that he has to survive, so getting treatment at TCH is our ultimate goal, but he has to become stable enough for the doctors to accept the transfer. Prayers are the ultimate thing that is needed, plus it is really expensive on the family. The mother, father, and grandmother have had to give up their careers to continue treatment for Liam in the hospital. We are doing what we can to help them.  Although we are limited financially, we try to make up for it by providing education and hope.

I decided to dedicate this race to Liam Lyon. It was the least that I could do, but it was at least something. I was very proud that my wife and I could wear the "Team Liam" shirts at the Shadow Creek Ranch Triathlon. It gave me a great chance to talk to other families that have gone through congenital anomalies, and ultimately bring awareness to Shawn's Anomaly's mission: Education, Hope, & Help.

I got into the water for the first time since Ironman. I can tell you how great that it felt great. With all the rain that we have had in the past week, the water temperature was nice for a July race. I took my place at the far end of the course, and then the gun sounded. I started off great, but I started to get tired. In all honesty I have trained barely at all for this race, so I really did not expect much, but I ended up finishing the swim in the middle of the pack.

As I got of of the water, I was able to show off our new Champion System Shawn's Anomaly kit for the first time. It is definitely easy to spot and as my friend Aaron says, "It looks like a rainbow threw up on it." Champion System did a really great job putting this kit together and I am sure it will be our kit for years to come. I am really excited about that.

I finished T1 in a super fast time and started off on the bike. The course was very flat that consisted of two loops. I love courses like that because you get to see the spectators more than once. With the absence of wind, it became insanely fast. I had my fastest bike split that I have ever had. It was great, and I felt confident going into the run.

I hit T2 feeling pretty good, until I started off on the run. That is when I realized that I had left my watch on the bike and did not have a way to regulate my heart rate with my cadence or min/mile. I decided to just trust my instincts instead of turning back to pick up my watch. I soon realized that was a huge mistake. I was still in IRONMAN mode which just simply means that I spent the whole run storing energy in the tank instead of giving all I had to the short course. After I finally figured out what I was doing, I noticed the finish line and it was too late. Oh well, the run was not perfect, but it was still so much fun to be out there racing.

So here are my results:

Swim
11:39.4 2:19/100 Yds
T1
01:13.7
Bike
47:29.6 21.0MPH
T2
01:07.4
Run
33:31.7 10:23/Mile
Total
1:35:01.9

No matter what, this was a great day for me in so many ways.  I got to see some great friends and met several new ones today.  This has reassured me that our ultimate goal of spreading the word about Shawn's Anomaly is getting accomplished.  That is a victory regardless if I receive the invitation to get into the Ironman World Championship.  Of course, don't let that stop you.  Please keep voting till Wednesday every day and share the link: www.sendshawnsironmantokona.com with all your friends.

Talking With Send Shawn's Ironman To Kona Supporters

Matthew & Pamela (Team Shawn's Anomaly Family Member)

Getting a much needed post race massage!

Hanging out with Aaron Palian before the race.

Bryan Agpar, Matthew Murphy, & Michael Barney post race!

Day 10 and 4 Days Left of Kona Inspired Round 3

Day 10 & 4 Days Left. This journey has definitely has proven to be a much harder journey that ever imagined it would be. It baffles me how the people in front of me can get so many views, and they all come from smaller towns. It is going to take a lot to get where we need to be, and I am BEGGING and PLEADING to you to help me get there. I cannot stress to you enough how important it is to send a message to all your friends and put in the website link into your page. Tell then what it is all about, ask them to vote, and most importantly, tell them to share with their friends.

It was such a pleasure seeing some of you at the Shadow Creek Ranch Triathlon packet pickup today, and I am looking forward to racing with you tomorrow. Thank you to all that has supported and voted for me today. That never goes unnoticed.

Here are the results today:

1 From coma to Kona 76094
2 Molli Serrano-An Ironman of a Different Caliber 61005
3 BethAnn Telford-Survivor 56320
4 Jason Gunter-Kona Inspired 15479
5 Burning Desire 15443
6 Lori McCarney-Never Give Up 10464
7 A Life without fear 8620
8 Seven Years to Kona 8209
9 Shawn's Ironman 7208
10 Refusing Mediocrity 5359
11 Fighting For Marriages 4694
12 Blazekid for the Cure 4324
13 James DeFilipp-Kona. I Can. I Will. 3495
14 FIREMAN ROB 2708
15 Ivan's journey to Ironman 2243

Radio Interview with Michael Garfield (High Tech Texan) on The 9-5-0

Interview with Michael Garfield (High Tech Texan)on The 9-5-0 (950 AM) Houston, TX 7/13/2012 from Shawn's Anomaly on Vimeo.

Rankings For "Kona Inspired" After Day 2

We moved one spot up to #11, but it is going to take a lot more shares and vote to get to the top two. Please continue to vote daily and share with all your friends. Make sure you tell all our friends to to share with their friends. Here are the results:

1	Molli Serrano-An Ironman of a Different Caliber	7059
2	From coma to Kona	4081
3	Burning Desire	2646
4	Jason Gunter-Kona Inspired	2546
5	Refusing Mediocrity	2366
6	Fighting For Marriages	1893
7	BethAnn Telford-Survivor	1862
8	Seven Years to Kona	1752
9	A Life without fear	1638
10	Lori McCarney-Never Give Up	1432
11	Shawn's Ironman	1378
12	Blazekid for the Cure	1272
13	James DeFilipp-Kona. I Can. I Will.	882
14	FIREMAN ROB	847
15	Ivan's journey to Ironman	598

I can't thank you enough for all of your support.  It moves and inspires me in way that you can't imagine.

Kona Inspired Voting Starts Tomorrow July 4th

We are just a few short hours away from the final round of voting.  I have to admit to all of you, I am a little nervous about everything.  I look at the contestants in round 2 and I am just shocked on how many votes they received.  It leads me to believe that we are going to need at least 220,000 votes to be considered for the invitation.

Of course that seems impossible to me, but after seeing Shawn's journey and crossing the Ironman Texas finish line, I know that anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and have a lot of support.

I really need to count on all of you for that help.  Please tell all your friends about the Kona Inspired program, vote daily, and share with everyone you know the website: www.sendshawnsironmantokona.com.

I want to thank Damali Keith for putting together a great news segment.  Check it out: