05/06/2026
For a long time, I thought this journey was about proving something to myself. Seeing how far I could push my body, my mind, my limits. But somewhere along the way, it became something deeper. Somewhere between the exhaustion, early mornings, doubt, and pain, I realized this wasn’t just about finishing a race anymore. It was about becoming the kind of man my sons can look at one day and say, “My dad never ran from hard things.”
Since having kids, that feeling has become bigger than me. Because one day they’re going to struggle. They’re going to hurt. Life is going to test them in ways they don’t understand. And I refuse to just tell them how to respond. I need to show them.
I need them to see that suffering is part of it. That pain is part of it. And that the only way forward is through it. That quitting is never the answer.
I could list every excuse. Every obstacle. Every reason why this should have been too much. But none of that matters. The truth is my wife carried far more than I did.
She sacrificed her time, energy, and peace so I could chase something that lives inside me. She never doubted me. Not once. And there is no version of this where I get to the finish line without her. Having her to go through this life with and raise our kids is the greatest blessing I could’ve hoped for.
And I didn’t do this alone.
Going through something like this with and built something deeper than friendship. Suffering together, pushing through together, holding each other accountable when it would’ve been easier to let up, creates a bond that doesn’t go anywhere. Those are the people you need in your life. The ones who push you, show up, and don’t let you quit when things get hard.
I don’t care about competing anymore.
I care about doing hard things when it would be easier not to.
One day my kids won’t remember my words, they’ll remember my actions. I just want to leave them undeniable proof that their father never quit, that he lived what he preached, and that no matter how hard it gets, they don’t have to quit either.
