There are many great stories from the July 27-28 “10 TV Commit to be Fit Multisport Celebration” but very few of them are many years in the making.  If you’re watching the video, or if you were at the finish line with us, you saw many athletes from TEAM RWB finish the triathlon carrying a giant American flag as they crossed the finish line.  This is but one of the stories under that flag.

Meet Master Sgt. Sean Clifton: U.S. Army Green Beret, Special Forces soldier, and Team Leader who served tours in Afghanistan and other unfriendly places.  Sean has held a special place with us at the” 10 TV Commit to be Fit Multisport Festival” since last year, when he competed but didn’t complete the race.  A severe bike crash took him out of the race and out of action for more than a short while.  Of course this is not Sean’s first time dealing with something that takes him out of action for a while.

May 31, 2009 Sean was a number of Special Forces team in Afghanistan whose mission was to take out a Taliban stronghold.  As the “breecher” he was first to the door, and first in.  He was also the first to catch incoming Taliban fire.  From the Survive and Thrive website: “Two of the rounds were critical; one hit his left arm, shattering the wrist and rendering his left arm useless.  Another round hit just under his body armor, entering his left waistline, critically wounding 5 major organs.”  He was a mess, and they barely kept him alive on the battlefield. He has since endured more than 20 surgeries to repair his body, but his spirit was never broken.  After months at the US Army Walter Reed Medical Center, he returned to central Ohio and to his family, including his triathlon family.  A member of TEAM RWB, a veterans group dedicated to “transforming the way that America supports its veterans” Sean and his RWB teammates encouraged each other to train, and race, and never give up.  Fast forward a year, and more than a dozen members of TEAM RWB completed the “10 TV Commit to be Fit Multisport Celebration” Triathlon on Sunday, each one carrying that huge American flag the last 100 yards.  There was a definite cheer from the crowd as Sean rounded the corner to come under the arch and down the finish chute, and to anyone watching, it was just another very fit athlete completing another tough race.  That is, until we were reminded that just a few years ago he was bleeding out in a doorway halfway across the world, that he has earned a Purple Heart Medal, 3 Bronze Stars, 4 Army Commendation Medals, and 5 Army Achievement Medals, and he continues to serve his Country today as an advisor to the Department of Justice and Homeland Security operations.

Master Sergeant Clifton can now add one more medal to his collection, the finisher medal from the “10 TV Commit to be Fit Multisport Celebration”.  We only hope it means as much to him as his service and his efforts mean to us.  Great to see you at the finish line Sir, and we’ll try to say thank you for all that you did and continue to do, we just can’t find words that match the weight of your efforts.

See you on race day!

For more information on Sean, TEAM RWB, or the Wounded Warrior Project, see:

www.surviveandthrive.ws

www.teamrwb.org

www.woundedwarrior.com

Another jam packed few days of announcing, teaching, and more in the books this weekend, and a few things came together to help me realize just what a lucky guy I am to be a part of this HFP Racing family.

Most of you know me as ”The big guy in the red shirt” behind the microphone at the HFP racing events.  Some know me simply by my voice, as you may have heard it at various sporting or charity events.  Still others know me as their self-defense instructor, and that voice when directed at you can be a powerful tool and a helpful reminder.  Announcing at HFP racing events started out as a favor, and grew into something truly life-changing for me and my family.

Announcing is an incredibly fun job!  Another HFP staffer filled in for me Saturday as I was triple booked at other events (that doesn’t happen often!), and was relieved when I showed up at the HFP race site.  “I’m glad you’re here” he told me,  “This announcing job is really hard.”  Really it’s unfair to call it a “job” at all, as it’s so much fun.  Granted, waking at 4 AM on race day, being polite when I don’t want to be, and being informative and cheerful until the last finisher has crossed the line doesn’t always come without some effort, but it is truly rewarding work, and I’m happy to have it.

After announcing a charity hockey game a few weeks ago, one of the players stopped me in the hallway and said “I don’t know why you do this, but thanks for doing it.”   Why do I do it? I can tell you, it isn’t for the money – but it IS for all the things I get that money simply cannot buy.   I get to be involved in some pretty special moments.   I get to be the one they come to with that special recognition when their son or daughter is struggling to the finish line of their first race. I get to be the one who gets the note from a husband to convey a special message to his wife as they race together on their wedding anniversary.   I get to be the one to revel in the excitement of watching a Pro triathlete podium a special race, and I get to be the first to congratulate that man or woman who dropped 100 pounds over the last year and changed their life with triathlon. I get to be the first one to welcome that Wounded Warrior back to active life as he or she hits the finish line after rehabbing an injury, and I get to thank that warrior and all his brethren for all of us.  I have seen some pretty special moments, and each one is burned in and has become a part of me.  I call you people my “family” because you are, and I am richly blessed for it.

For me it’s also a bit of the “hair of the dog that bit you” concept too.  I was terrible at public speaking early on.  I can remember doing presentations for school and community organizations and being reminded just how bad I was, and how I needed to improve.  I was awful, and I knew it. So I started asking to perform parts, or to read aloud, or whatever would help me to get better at not panicking in front of a crowd.  Hard to believe…but true!  (Insert your “shocked face” here).  That initial fear jumped back in my throat the first time Shannon asked me to help at an HFP race, but with a little practice and the patience of you, our racers, I hope I’ve gotten a little better.  I still strive to improve every race.

Another key point to working with HFP is the concept of a total team effort.  I try to be anonymous (or as much as possible) at races, as  I intentionally don’t announce my name at races, as there is no need for it; so it makes me laugh when people come up to me and ask “are you Shannon?”  No, I am not, but that’s OK.  I try to be invisible.  I think that’s what made the finish line such a highlight of my day this weekend at the Armco park triathlon.  As you know, when you register for a race there is a section for you to document those special things that you want everyone to know under “Announcer Comments”.  Those comments splash up on my announcer screen as you cross the finish line.  This comment splashed and not only made me smile, but made my day as the racer stopped in the finish chute and chastised me for not reading it on the mic.  Alice said later:   “HFP’s announcer always makes the extra effort to personally recognize athletes, whether it’s their birthday or their first effort at that distance. He’s like the Midwest’s own Mike Riley, and it’s great having a familiar voice call out my name when I cross the finish line. There have been HFP races where I’ve placed in my age group and races where I’ve been one of the last people on the course, but Rich always acknowledges my crossing of the finish line with enthusiasm. It makes my day.”  The “Mike” in question is Mike Riley – the official voice of Ironman, and the voice that literally every triathlete wants to hear someday call their name (including me) with “You are an Ironman”.  Unfortunately there isn’t much to compare between me and Mike Riley, as Mike is a professional with thousands of Ironman finishers under his vocal belt;  I am just a guy in a red shirt talking with friends and family, making sure everyone has a safe and fun race, with some good natured heckling thrown in too.  Thank you for your kind words, and thanks for recognizing that we do work hard to make sure you have a safe and fun race.  Remember to remind us of your special accomplishments under the “Announcer notes”, or just come to the tent on race day and drop me a note.   It doesn’t matter to us if you’re first, fast, or last – everyone should feel like family at the race, and if we have any say in it, we’ll make sure of it.

See you on race day!
Rich

–          Be sure to “Like” the HFP racing page on Facebook too, and connect with us there if you like. We will often use what you post there to help recognize you at the races.