still visible @ ironman cda
Sometimes races just don’t go your way and that was the case for me at Ironman Coeur d'Alene. I was pulled from the water due to hypothermia. Even though race officials said the water temp was around 61 degrees, the reality was it was closer to 55. It was my first DNF since transitioning from bike racing to triathlon. It was a hard pill to take for sure. I wasn’t disappointed with the fact I didn’t finish the race; I was disappointment because I felt like I let down all the transgender kids in Idaho that don’t even get the opportunity to race because of their law banning trans kids from sports. I was disappointed I wouldn’t be able to hold out my trans pride flag across the finish line and show those kids that we can still race and to not give up the dream of one day participating and to not give up hope. It’s such a popular race on the Ironman calendar that the message I would have sent would have been impactful. I know being there and starting is more than enough but when you are in a sea of people wearing the same color wetsuit and swim cap just doesn’t come close to being as visible holding that flag at the finish line.
Regardless of all that, I was still able to be visible and send my message. I wore my Protect Trans Kids t-shirt (https://shop.hrc.org/clothing/t-shirts/protect-trans-kids-t-shirt.html) on the busiest day at the athlete village and all over town. I definitely got a lot of glares, stares, and grimaces but I also got a few cheers of support, both from fellow athletes and even more importantly locals! When I finally was able to look past not holding that flag at the finish line, I was able to reflect on those moments and see that I did actually make an impact and hopefully people saw that t-shirt and made the realization that what these states are doing to these kids isn’t right and drive them to spark change either in Idaho or wherever their home state is.
I learned that you don’t necessarily need the spectacle to get your message across; the subtle can be just as impactful, like simply wearing a Protect Trans Kids t-shirt around town. And with all of that, it has given me even more motivation to keep going with my goal this season to represent my community wherever I can. I’m still pushing for that spectacle moment this time at the Ironman Arizona 70.3, hopefully I’ll be able to afford it but I’m sure I’ll find a way. I’m also not forgetting about the subtle moments either like returning to CDA for their olympic distance event in August.
I’m not going to give up and every opportunity I get to race in these states banning trans kids from sports and healthcare, I will take it! You, of course, can help by sharing these stories and moments with your own communities, friends, families, etc… The message needs to be heard:
