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Have you had someone in your life who has motivated and encouraged you? It’s something you’ll never forget. There was a man like that who crossed my path years ago, and he said something to me that I’ve never forgotten.
I don’t remember his name, and I’m sure that at that time I never realized what an impact his words would have on me. The Marine Corps had stationed me in Albany, Georgia. Anyone who is familiar with South Georgia knows how hot it can get – stifling! A group of us were out on a mandatory run. I was miserable and hot and hating every minute of it. An older Marine ran by me – didn’t chew me out – just said “The hotter the heat, the stronger the steel.” He was from the Pennsylvania steel mill area, so he knew what he was talking about! At that time I only ran when I had to – but what he said stayed with me and has served me well through many a run and many a race. And that is why “The hotter the heat, the stronger the steel” was chosen to be the slogan for Try-A-Tri.
The goal of this site is to promote, support and encourage the sport of triathlon. We hope you’ll find our products to be motivational. As we grow, we’ll expand our product line, but if there is something in particular you’d like to suggest, drop us a line at: 78ironman@comcast.net.
I had the honor to be one of the 15 men who ran the first Ironman Triathlon in 1978. I feel privileged to have been at the right place and at the right time to take advantage of that opportunity. It’s laughable how little training I had going into that event, and little did we know that it would be the birth of a new craze – the beginning of extreme sports! Some of those 15 men are good friends of mine, and I treasure those friendships. Publicly, to ALL the men who ran that Original 1978 event, I say “THANK YOU.” You deserve far more credit than you’ve ever received!
In 2004, the five Marines in our family – daughter Toni; son Henry III; sons-in-law Giuliano and Mike – and I had the privilege to run the Ironman in Kona, Hawaii, together. It was a great honor to our family to have several of the 1978 Original Ironmen waiting to congratulate us as we crossed that finish line on Alii Drive - Frank Day, Gordon Haller, Tom Knoll and Dave Orlowski. My wife Lou, who headed up my support crew in 1978, and my daughter Bonnie (along with all our grandchildren) were the best cheerleaders a family could have. So, at the age of 61, I completed my sixth Ironman. My daughter Toni later shared that it was the fulfillment of a lifetime dream of hers – to run the Ironman with me. From the time she was 12 years old and wrote a little note on my bike box – “Don’t quit Daddy,” she had begun to dream of one day running the Ironman with me.
We appreciate your time in checking out our site!
Owner, Henry Forrest, Jr.
P. O. Box 846, Grayson, GA 30017
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