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Ryan Reeve, 29
-Inman, South Carolina
-Triathlete -Married with 2.5 year old daughter,Sienna.
-Full-Time Sales Rep for Pest Control company
-Assistant Head Coach for local American Legion Junior baseball Team
Ryan’s Awakening
You’ll probably notice that I haven't always been an endurance athlete. Nearly three years ago, you would have seen a 350lb+ pound couch potato. Heck, the word ‘triathlete’ would have been the last way to describe myself, much less, ‘swimmer’, ‘cyclist’, or ‘runner.’ Three years ago I passed out at work at my heaviest weight: my blood sugar was over 450 and my blood pressure well over stroke levels. Noticing my pregnant wife, my doctor at the hospital asked me when she was due. “Two months,” I replied. He told me in no uncertain terms that if I didn't make an immediate lifestyle change, I wouldn’t live long enough to witness her birth. From that day forward I made a promise to myself, my wife, and my daughter that I would do everything in my power to be here as long as possible. That year I started the ketogenic diet as a way to lower my blood sugar levels. Two and a half years later I had completely transformed: I lost over 150 pounds, became a runner, started swimming and cycling, and now I am a triathlete. Just like my weight loss, triathlon gives me goals to accomplish and PR’s to beat. I also like to think it gives my friends, family, and strangers a little motivation. I hope my transformation helps people believe that anything is possible, as long as you lay out a plan, you execute that plan, and never give up. The triathlon community is just amazing: everyone likes to talk, and share stories, tips, and tricks. It's a huge family out there and we all kind of recognize that we share the same brand of crazy.
24 Hours of Cycling
trainer is crazy. So crazy in fact, that it just may peak people’s interest. I started with a goal of raising $500 for wishes. When we hit that. I upped it to $1,000. When we hit $1,000 we just kept on fundraising,reaching a total of $2,600 to grant wishes for these amazing kids.A Transformational Ride
The 24 hour ride was the most physically and mentally challenging undertaking I have eve4r experienced. The first three hours were just another training ride. Hour six was just a long ride. Hour nine was: “Man it's getting dark outside, what am I doing?!” Hour twelve was: “Holy crap, I'm halfway there. But I'm ONLY halfway there!” Spinning through the night was difficult: your body is used to being asleep. I was lucky to have a great support team, keeping me motivated, hydrated, and fed. The support I received from friends on facebook, instagram, phone calls, texts, were a huge inspiration. I thought constantly about the kids I was raising money for, and how they can’t give up, no matter how much they may want to.
