I'm creating this race in honor of my dad, Leo Aloysius Burke III, and his love for fitness and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My dad taught me to continuously challenge myself to be better every day. He lived this way and he radiated his passion for outdoor and fitness to those around him.
On his birthday on March 4, 2023, my dad and I did a sprint triathlon for fun, because that's what he wanted for his birthday! We swam half a mile at the Morganton Community pool, we biked 12 miles on the bike trail and ran a 5k into town and back. When we finished he declared with a smile, "We're gonna do this every year on my birthday!" That summer, he was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, an extremely aggressive brain cancer, and he never got to do that triathlon again. I made him a promise that I will carry on this tradition to honor the man he was and the man we all loved and revered. He would absolutely love it if many of his friends and family were working out on his birthday in his honor. This year we will be mainly virtual meaning you will do the race on your own time on the designated day (or close to it) and post your times here. I hope to expand this race each year. It will always be the weekend after his birthday and the in person version will take place in Morganton, NC where he lived when we first did this triathlon. I look forward to seeing all those who choose to participate and spread the joy of physical activity just like my dad did! And we can't forget his undying love for peanut butter and jelly! The in person race will have peanut butter and jelly at the end for nourishment and we encourage those of you at home to make your own and post a pic post race of you and your PB & J! Mostly, I just want to have fun and spread the memory of Leo. He deserves to be remembered and for us all to race and eat in his honor. :)
The race will be a sprint triathlon which is
Swim - .5 mile (750meters)
Bike - 12.4 miles (20K)
Run - 3.1 miles (5K)
Please try to transition as if you are racing, and count that transition time as part of your time!
And don't forget, "What would Leo do?"
Have fun!
