I awoke to a high pitched beeping sound coming from the alarm clock. I turned my head to the right and looked at the red numbers; 4:15a.m. As it was before every race, my stomach was in knots. I sat up and rubbed my eyes while yawning and taking a deep breath. I scanned the hotel room looking for my pre-race bag which normally contained a juice box, instant oatmeal, a couple of GU packets, and a blueberry muffin. This was my Ironman routine, this was race morning.

It took me a minute before I was fully awake and realized that today I would not be competing, that today I was in Madison Wisconsin to provide support and encouragement to a man who I recently met and who I have come to respect and admire. That man is Dr. Tom Pintar.

We had the pleasure of finally meeting after numerous emails and phone calls. You see Dr. Pintar was one of my first supporters. He followed my training schedule via my website and sent me encouraging emails as I trained to become the first dialysis patient to ever compete in and complete an Ironman. I made history, and my accomplishment at Ironman Lake Placid in 2004 would be the source of inspiration for Dr. Pintar and the catalyst that made today possible. You see, Dr. Pintar was not only racing for himself, he was racing for my foundation. www.shadirelandfoundation.org He raised a total of $13,000 dollars in sponsorships which was donated to us so that we could continue to provide fitness grants to children and adults who suffer from kidney disease. His fundraising efforts are directly changing the lives of 12 dialysis patients, 7 in Indiana, 3 in Ohio, and 2 in California. One person racing with purpose, surpassing physical limitations, giving back, inspiring everyone he knows, and making a difference in the lives of others, This is the essence of an Ironman triathlete and this is why I knew that after today Dr. Tom Pintar would be able to call himself an Ironman.

Today Dr. Pintar was about to embark on a mission to fulfill his goals that he set for himself almost a year ago. He registered for Ironman Wisconsin on September 13th, 2004 and today he would push himself both physically and mentally.

I could go on and describe for you how over 2000 athletes entered the water at 6:30am anxiously waiting for the start of the race, (2.4 mile swim) I could tell you about how the heat reached well over 98 degrees, (I lost a couple of pounds myself that day) and how over 400 athletes did not finish the bike segment (112 miles)of the race, or I could tell you about how at one point during the run (26.2 miles) Dr. Pintar became hypoglycemic and had to walk until his blood sugars leveled off; these are just a few of the obstacles that Dr. Pintar overcame at Ironman Wisconsin.

I want to share with all of you a moment during the race that moved me. This one moment made an impression on me that brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye.

You see, Dr. Pintar had a wonderful support system with him that day. That support system consisted of his family, his children, his wife, extended family, me, and his parents. His Dad, Tom Pintar Sr. was standing next to me as the race began. We both watched as over 2000 athletes began swimming. It was this moment that moved me, it was this moment that brought me to a point of reflection. I turned my head and noticed as tears of pride filled Dr. Pintars father’s eyes. It made me think of my mother who I lost to lung cancer this past January 2005 (see shad and his mom at http://www.ironshad.com/shadsmother.html). I thought about how she must have felt, and wondered if those same tears filled her eyes as she sat in front of her computer on July 25 th, 2004 watching Ironman live www.ironmanlive.com as I began my journey to make history and become the first dialysis patient to ever compete in and complete an Ironman. I remembered how sick she was, how the chemo therapy ravaged her body, and how she could not make it to Lake Placid New York to watch me compete. I was moved because of what I saw in his father’s eyes. How he stood there and watched his son, a diabetic, take on one of sports most grueling events. In his fathers eyes I saw Lake Placid New York again, I saw my mother sitting at her computer filled with cancer but determined to support her son, and I saw the pride I knew she felt. I was proud to be able to share that moment with his father.

Below you will find a series of pictures, a storyline of the days events as Dr. Pintar accomplished each goal he set for himself on his quest to become part of the Ironman family. I believe these pictures of the days events speak for themselves.

The day ended as the day began, with energy, and enthusiastic excitement as Dr. Pintar rounded the corner and approached the chute to the finish line. I could see the excitement on his face. The lights, the crowd, his supporters, family and friends, we were all cheering for him. All of that training, hard work, dedication, everything he worked for was all rolled up into these last few seconds…The announcers voice boomed as he crossed the finish line,

“Tom Pintar from Fort Wayne Indiana, You are an Ironman”

"IronMan Tom Pintar with Family and Friends"