The Timberman Triathlon.
Now, everybody had heard of triathlons. We'd seen the Ironman on Wide World of Sports when we were kids. Hell, I swam with twins in college who ran that one back in the early eighties. They were monsters. Identical twins. Competitive as hell about everything. Races. Grades. Girls. Body Fat Index before it was fashionable. They were Triathletes. But, that was half my lifetime ago. Who the hell does triathlons? I might know 10 people who can run the Boston Marathon, but a triathlon? That's crazy talk.
Keith decides he's doing it. For all the right reasons. It will be a challenge, but he can train for it. He's always been somewhat athletic, he played in almost every sport offered at our high school (more on that later, maybe. Go Boxers!) at one point or another, except the gay ones, rugby in college, avid ice fisheman. Still somewhat of a jogger. Yeah, great idea K. This'll help keep you/get you in shape. Lucky for him he is in his own class that transcends age. He is a Clydesdale. Those in the know already know what that means. Those not, well, figure it out.
It is being held exactly 1.1 miles from my parents home. It's a half Ironman, the most common distance. It's the first year they are running it. The swim passes in front of my parents home by 500 yards. The run passes their front porch. Four times.
It was Kismet.
He enrolls. He trains. He asks Me & Todd if we want to join him. He hears a lot of "Fuck that" from us. We would also be Clydesdales, but have not earned the title. So we are just fat. But we are there for him. This, we want to see.
Mid August arrives. The Timberman Festival. Wow. What a day. It was somewhere in the 70s when the swim started, in the 80's during the bike, and even higher during his run. The whole family was there to watch. We jumped in the car and watched him pass on the bike 20 miles down the road, we gathered on the street in front of Mom & Dad's house and cheered him and the other monsters go by all day long. We were there for the final 200 yard finish line chute to see him cross the line. A lot faster than he had anticipated.
It was amazing. It was the coolest thing I ever saw him do, and I was proud, worried, and a little jealous. More than a little.
If you haven't already figured it out, the rest of the family was nibbled. Not bitten. Yet.
The Bro's, after our first team effort
Buddy, Mark the Mick, Todd, and Captain K
Keith storming up the hill 
Some guy I don't know, but team Angry Emerita, regardless!
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