Anyone with a good fitness base, a healthy respect for the difficulty of this race and a willingness to put in an average of 12-15 hours a week in training can complete an Ironman Triathlon. If you don't believe me, take the weekend off for a trip up to Penticton to watch the race. The inspiration you will get from watching the event progress to the finish is amazing. While on a training ride on Vancouver Island, I met up with a gentleman who lives in Shawnigan Lake whose experience as a spectator completely changed his life.

At the age of 26, Wyatt Killam traveled to Penticton to watch a friend's mother compete in Ironman Canada 2000. A non-athletic individual, Wyatt's lifestyle consisted of unhealthy eating habits, cigarette smoking and daily marijuana consumption. Impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of the town in support of the event he also noticed the range of people competing in the event: old, young, fit, heavyset and all in great shape, healthy and taking on one of the largest challenges of their lives. Wyatt knew that he could do this if he put his mind to it and immediately realized what such a decision would entail; a turning point in his life and complete lifestyle change.

The decision was not an easy one. For someone with little or no fitness base a 3.86km swim, a 180.2km bike and a 42.2km run is a monstrous undertaking. Wyatt hadn't been on a bike or swam in years and the last time he ran was in high school eight years earlier. After following the race and observing the finishers file in between 3:30 p.m. and midnight, he knew that he wanted to do this event but couldn't figure out why or how he would go about it. At 11:50 p.m. that evening, sitting on the beach (smoking a cigarette) 50 feet away from the throngs of people watching the finish, Wyatt considered what specifically would have to change to make this goal a reality.

"I would need to stop smoking , I would need to stop smoking pot (which I did every day for five years prior), I would need to eat a complete and healthy diet , I would need to focus on the positive , I would need to earn more money , I would need to open doors , I would need to learn and be accepting of change."

Deciding that this would definitely be a positive turn in his life, Wyatt just wanted something to be sure of his decision.

"When I raised my head and looked at the stars, there, in the middle of my view was the big dipper angled level so that if there were fluid pouring into it, it would be completely full before overflowing. I thought about how lucky I might be to come back every year to see this again.

My mind was set , I walked the fifty feet back to the crowd of people and rejoined my friends just in time to see Lori Bowden run in with Dave Mundie. That was the last cigarette I had and two months later I smoked my last joint.

This year (2002) I will be in Penticton again as an athlete and at ten to twelve I will be on the beach."

Wyatt set out a two year plan to prepare for the race. "I saw people crossing the finish line completely broken... I don't want to be broken." With this goal in mind he eased into running, cycling and swimming, taking a slow, progressive approach to preparing his body for the rigors of this race. When I met Wyatt, he was looking very strong climbing the Malahat (Just North of Victoria on the Trans Canada Highway) returning from a 5 hour ride. He swims in the fast lane with a Master's Swim Club in Duncan and is now comfortable running.

Wyatt is proof that it is possible to come from almost any fitness level and personal situation to prepare yourself for this kind of race if you can dedicate yourself to the task. I wish him the best of luck on August 25th and will encourage him to share his race experience with us when he returns.