"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." - T.S. Eliot
Our Waco 70.3 athletes haven’t been the only ones pushing their limits recently. Catapult athlete Austin Marshall will be tackling his first Ironman™ this weekend in Louisville—that’s 140.6 miles (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) which must be completed in 17 hours or less! But before you read about Austin, here’s a fun fact about how the Ironman™ came to have that 17 hour time limit…
The record for longest time taken to finish the IRONMAN™ triathlon in Hawaii was set in 1982 by 73 year-old Walt Stack, whose motto was, “Start slow… and taper off.” He completed the ocean swim fairly easily (part of his daily routine consisted of a swim of at least a mile in the waters of the San Francisco Bay, near Alcatraz). After that, Stack hopped on his single speed granny-basket bike and completed the 112-mile ride, allegedly with a support crew keeping him well-stocked with beer. But his nutrition didn’t consist of only beer. Before finishing the 26.2 mile run the following morning, Walt stopped at a local restaurant for a full waffle breakfast. Twenty six hours later, Walt Stack was an IRONMAN™—and responsible for the cut-off time carried out in the following years.
He was also featured in Nike's first "Just Do It" commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_xozTo6wrU
Have fun out there, Austin (but, maybe don’t stop for a full breakfast before you finish)!
(The above information about Walt Stack was summarized from his Wikipedia page.)
Tell us a few details about you and your story.
I was first introduced to triathlon by the raiser of my guide dog, Bentley. About 3 years ago, I had made the decision to lose weight, and start eating cleaner. I wasn’t quite sure how to do that, so I started in the gym. Triathlon had always been in the back of my mind, but life seemed to get in the way of that. After making the choice to eat cleaner, and about a year of convincing, I decided to dip my toe in triathlon. That first year, I used swim, bike, and run as just a way to drop weight. Later that year (2016) I took the trip to see Jenny Senko (Bentley’s raiser) compete in IM Louisville. The bug bit on that trip, and I decided to sign up for my first half, with the idea of a full 2 years later. So, here I am, 2 years later, doing the same race, with her as my guide. Triathlon has changed my life so much. There has obviously been a physical component to it, but the mental gains, and my overall view on life have also changed dramatically. I’m thankful for all the opportunities that have been thrown my way, and the people I have met along the journey. It’s those people that keep me going
How did you get involved with Team Catapult?
I first heard about Catapult through one of my guides, Danny Craven. We were exploring options for my first triathlon, and he informed me about Sylvan Beach. It was one of the 2017 team races, so it gave me a chance to meet a lot of the team members, and experience the whole world of paratriathlon. That race opened many doors for me as an athlete, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to have been able to race with the team that weekend.
What has been your most motivating moment?
There have been so many motivating moments over the last two years, but the one that stands out to me would have to be in the moments after I finished CB&I this year. I entered that race with Jarrett as my guide, and with the goal of securing a paratriathlon nationals spot. I wasn’t quite sure what my official time was, but I knew it was close. The moment Jarrett had told me that we had made the qualifying time, and I was going to nationals was one that I will remember forever. It validated all my hard work, and started the journey that would take me to the next level of my triathlon career. It gave me that motivation to keep pushing, and to never quit. I battled a lot of demons that day, and securing that spot meant that I had defeated a lot of them. It was also motivation to start my Ironman build the next month. That moment gave me the push I needed going into the rest of the season.
What was your first impression of Catapult, and has that changed?
My first impression of Catapult was great. I was struck by the individual attention given to athletes, and the efforts they put in to make our dreams a reality. I was treated like a pro for my nationals qualifier, and I know that this happens with many of the Catapult athletes. The team will stop at nothing to make sure the athletes have what they need. It’s a close group of friends that happen to be athletes, and I like that. I still feel the same way now that I did the first time I met everyone. It’s awesome and I love it.
Favorite motivational quote.
“Put your face in the water and swim” Danny Craven. This one was directed towards me during my first race. The swim was rough that day, and I was freaking out a bit. It wasn’t funny at the time, but has since become a funny moment, and one that still teaches me a lot. Every time I’m having trouble in a race, or workout, I think back to that quote. There’s nothing you can do but keep going, or quit, and that quote reminds me to keep pushing no matter how bad I feel.
“It’s a choice that you have to wake up every day and say, ‘there is no reason why today can’t be the best day of my life’” Blake Lively. This has recently become one of my favorite quotes. We make the choice to be good, or bad. We make the choice to keep going, or give up, and there is no reason why we should tell ourselves that today could be awesome. It’s taught me to make every day count, no matter if it’s in your personal life, athletic life, or career. There is no reason why you can’t always strive to be the best person you can be.
Join Mind Over Matter and CATAPULT for an awesome race! All race proceeds benefit Team CATAPULT and our mission! Sing up below for the 5k or 10k option! Photography by Scott Flathouse and post-race refreshments provided by 11 Below! Thank you to our friends at Mind Over Matter for hosting and thinking of CATAPULT!
CATAPULT kindly requests your attendance at the 2019 CATAPULT Gala to be held on Friday, January 18, 2019, at The Astorian near Downtown Houston. CATAPULT relies on several key partnerships to help achieve its mission goals, and the funds raised during the gala is the driving force behind annual events, training, scholarships, education, and community outreach programs.
Like last year, our gala will be the same weekend as the Houston Marathon with a similar schedule on Friday evening. In 2018 we were able to raise more than $130,000 gross funds for the organization with the help of partners, sponsors and friends like you. The money raised funded 100% of the organization’s events for 2018 and beyond, assisting athletes in reaching the finish line of endurance events 100+ times (and counting), and providing a race push rim and multiple prosthetic running blades for athletes. Finally, CATAPULT awarded more than $28,000 in grants to 50+ CATAPULT athletes in need.
We are looking forward to even greater success at this year’s celebration. Our gala will be at The Astorian and will offer amazing downtown views, first-class dining, an open bar, along with an inspiring program from those who benefit from CATAPULT the most. The goal is to support more athletes in 2019, raise awareness, and honor our partners, supporters and cheerleaders who make CATAPULT’s achievements possible.
If you are interested in reserving a table or seat at this year's gala please email us today at hello@teamcatapult.org to learn about table options and donor levels. Space is limited. We hope you can join us for this special evening.
