Ryan Bickerstaff

I’ve been competing in triathlons since my 9th birthday, May 13, 1990. It was an IronKids triathlon in Wichita, KS that consisted of a 100m swim, 5km bike, and 1km run. I actually did the bike on a one speed BMX dirtbike - I remember my parents taking the bike into a bike shop to get a slightly smaller rear sprocket so that I could go a little faster. The race was a big challenge at the time and a lot of fun because of the accomplishment. I finished under a huge blown up rainbow (from Rainbow Bread - the sponsor) and got a finsher’s pin and banner. I collected the finisher pins at subsequent races and hung up the finisher’s banner in my room at home. The words on the banner, “Every Finisher is a Winner,” were a constant reminder that the important thing was the process, the journey, towards finishing, beating a previous best time, or eventually winning races. My journey with triathlon has lasted over 18 years, and I hope this can serve as way to reflect on both the past and present as I continue on, seeing where hard work, dedication, and consistency can take me.

Filed under: Reflection