Preparation H

about sums up the last two days and maybe the next couple of days after racing 140.6 miles. There is sooo much to think about before an ironman race i can see why people would do only one a year. today we dropped off our swim to bike bags, bike to run bags, tomorrow we will drop off our bike and run special needs bags, and fill up our morning bag before the race. sooo many bags sooo little time... by race time tomorrow i hope i won't be "bagging it" . . .

"bag party"

"bike bags"


"run bags and me"

now just kill'in time about sixteen hours till race start. time for a shower, dinner and a little stretching/rolling and some good night sleep, with a wakeup call for 3:30am...

slater learning how to crush dreams tomorrow....

good thing i didn't have a four digit race number !

Team Duke "CHAP Support"

Greg with the "Bling Bike" the children decorated

After John Wayne's own heroic battle with cancer, his family established the John Wayne Cancer Foundation (JWCF) to advance the fight against the illness. The John Wayne Cancer Foundation's mission is to bring courage, strength and grit to the fight against cancer.

Since its founding in 1985, the JWCF has supported awareness programs, education programs and support groups, and is aligned with like-minded groups and non-profits that advance the fight against cancer. JWCF has also been committed to groundbreaking cancer research and education at the John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI).

What is grit? Grit is bravery. A fighting spirit. Guts. Determination. It’s standing up for what you believe in and taking care of the people you love.

"Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway"
-john wayne

The Children's Healing Art Project (CHAP) is a program that we are excited to be a part of. CHAP brings the healing power of art to those children (and their parents and siblings) in crisis with cancer. The art projects are helping to fill the voids in life that cancer often results from, and also helps educate the public regarding what it is like for a child to go through cancer treatment. CHAP gives people a way to be heroes, by supporting their work.


Slater rides with Maya, and I ride with Carlos in our support for the fight against cancer by wearing their one-of-a- kind Children's Healing Art Project (CHAP) jersey that each child has painted. It is awesome to ride with our jerseys knowing how inspired we are by the children and their families and how much support and encouragement we all have through CHAP.



Jordan Romero is our friend that will be the youngest, age 13, to climb the 7 tallest summits of the world. Right now he is on his quest to summit Everest the last summit on his list with the support of Team Duke. Keep track of his climb to the summit of Everest on www.jordanromero.com.

Team Jordan with the prayer flags

Jordan's Everest Summit flag by CHAP

Help donate@www.teamduke.org