As written on Facebook closed athlete group on April 20, 2020:

Good Monday everybody!

I’m not new as a 👾 squaddie, but since I now been given the opportunity to be part of the PPF Scholarship, I wanted to start my week being thankful and sharing my journey in the hopes that it will also make you feel thankful for yours.

I’m 41 and I’ve been an entrepreneur for the past 20 years. I own a small digital shop in Paraguay, South America and although the title on the wall says I’m a designer, I’d like to think myself as a doer. I started my triathlon journey two years ago one morning while going through Instagram and I found this quote: “RUN TOWARDS YOUR FEARS”. I always wanted to do Triathlon, but I feared the run side of it. I have a 20mm length leg 🦵🏼 discrepancy, so during all my life running 🏃🏻‍♂️ = 🤕injuries, pain and physiotherapy as a result. Still, that quote hit a nerve, so I signed up for Ironman Florianopolis 🇧🇷 70.3 in April 2018 with little over 8 weeks of training. Even thou I’ve been doing some road cycling since 2017, I never swam in open waters and never ran 21k before that day. Needless to say, I felt the entire weight of my decision during all the 420 minutes that took me to complete the race. Damn you Instagram ✊🏼

Of course, next day I already signed up for the next one: 2018 Ironman Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 70.3. Managed to shave a full hour on the final time for a total of 6 hours, mostly because I improved my running and the fact that the swimming portion was held in a lake. As many of you, I went through the full circle of emotions ⭕️, ranging from “😃 this is great!” To “💩 why I’m doing to myself?” And the inevitable “🥳 OMG when is the next one?” immediately after crossing the finish line.

The next one was supposed to be Ironman Punta del Este 🇺🇾70.3 in April 2019.

One early Sunday morning, January 6th 2019, a buddy of mine and I were doing our long Z2 ride 🚴🏻‍♂️🚴🏻‍♂️. It was 8:23am when a small truck in front of us crossed the double-yellow-line and hit me dead center. Luckily for me, I instinctively tried to stop the car with my hand, and because of that I ended up rolling on top of the car, rather than getting stuck underneath it. Luis, my training buddy who was riding my wheel was able to walk undamaged. How is this even possible, you ask? The driver fell asleep. He owns a nightclub and was driving drunk after closing shop. He also happened to be the son of a major politician in the country, which sort-of explains why he didn’t go to jail and still haven’t paid a dime for the damages and medical expenses. The bike? It was a Venge Vias that was given to me by my wife for my 40th birthday, just 10-days earlier. The front bumper hit me on the left tibia, which as a result hit the frame and cracked it in half. Thankfully, my tibia didn’t. My left hand, wrist and shoulder on the other hand, did.

I learned in life that the results you’ll get are linked to the decisions you make, which in return are the output of the story you tell yourself. I was determined to change the story I was telling myself, from a victim to a survivor and as soon as I was able to sit, I started training.

One surgery, two titanium bolts 🔩🔩 and 90 physiology sessions later, I raced Ironman Sao Paulo 🇧🇷 70.3 in 5:25, shaving 35 minutes from my previous time. The swim took longer because of the hand (I still can’t get the full range of movement and can’t get rid of the pain, specially when in cold temperatures) but made improvements both on the bike and the run.

After that race I felt I could push myself just a little more. I decided the pursue a sub 5-hour 70.3 and what better venue that the race I never got to race last year: Ironman Punta del Este 🇺🇾 70.3. That’s when I decided to join PPF last December.

Of course, then Covid came along and the world got cancelled, which brings me to this post. Not being able to race Ironman Punta del Este 🇺🇾 70.3 is the least of my concerns right now. As a business owner with clients in the retail sector, I immediately took a hit when some of them -understandably- decided to end our retainers at the end of March. This meant having to re-calibrate my needs and prioritize my family’s needs. That’s why when PPF announced the scholarship I decided to reach out and share my story, hoping my triathlon journey would not get truncated once again.

Thank you Purple Patch Fitness 💜 for allowing me to continue my journey. I’ll make sure to pay back with interests in drops of sweat.

To my fellow squaddies 👾, remember: you can always live to tell the tale, just make sure you live one worth telling 💪🏼.