“Surviving with Endurance” – Speaking at Endurance Sports Expo

On February 21st at 2:00 PM, I will be speaking at the Endurance Sports Expo in Oaks Pennsylvania with Derek Fitzgerald. The topic of our talk is “Surviving with Endurance”.

Two survivors and triathletes share their stories of hope, possibility, overcoming obstacles, and giving back. Steve Brown and Derek Fitzgerald talk about their battles with blood cancer and how their multisport lifestyles remain a driving force behind their health, and their commitment to finding a cure and raising awareness. 

A lifelong athlete growing up in suburban Philadelphia, Steve Brown ventured into multisport racing in the mid-1980s. Since that time Steve has racked up countless events of all distances including many marathons, ultra marathons, and ironman triathlons. In 2006, he was diagnosed with a chronic form of leukemia. He underwent four rounds of chemotherapy, often running home from chemotherapy in an effort to maintain his baseline fitness level. By July of that same year, he was back to racing ironman triathlons. His diagnosis drew him to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s TEAM in TRAINING program where he now works as a triathlon coach. Brown continues to use multisport racing and training as a platform to raise awareness for blood cancer and has navigated his way through two subsequent relapses of his disease. He recently wrote and published his fifth book Relentless Mettle – My Cancer, My Rules to tell his story. To learn more visit www.remissionman.com

A survivor of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, heart failure and ultimately a heart transplant, Derek Fitzgerald has faced his share of challenges. Eight months after transplant, Derek began channeling the perseverance and determination that helped him overcome his health obstacles by entering the field of endurance sports. Less than a year and a half after surgery, he completed his first half Ironman. At two and a half years out, Derek became the first survivor of both cancer and a heart transplant to finish a full Ironman, a feat he duplicated four months later with his second 140.6 finish. Derek uses his participation in endurance sports to honor his donor, to remind people of what the human body is capable of overcoming, and to raise awareness of cancer research and of organ and tissue donation.

For more on Derek, visit www.recycledman.com