This anthology of 15 essays, written by every day triathletes, is about humans doing what they were meant to do. In these pages, you’ll read why these triathletes love their sport. They are the men and women you meet every day. Some of the authors have regular jobs and some are retired. Some of them are barely out of school and some are grandparents. They are the fast one and they are the not-so-fast one but they all compete from start to finish just the same. You’ll read stories of triumph and defeat, of finding oneself and leaving one’s old self behind. They write about meeting new love on the course and leaving love-gone-wrong in the dust. For these athletes, triathlon is more than a sport, its a way of life. And, that’s the way it should be.

During a race and in training, triathletes live more in one day than most have lived in decades. They pursue their perfect race. Although they may not find perfection it is in the pursuit that they find excellence. Theirs is a healthy pursuit with a promising reward of good health allowing them to do it longer. What they have learned in the sport is through their own self-examination. Triathlon’s essence is endurance. Its lessons are taught not in seconds or in the swing of a club or a kick of a ball. This sport, because of its essence, exposes weaknesses, tests will, and expels demons as well as sweat. It teaches patience, perseverance, and pain tolerance. It reveals courage in the most honorable of methods: By testing the faith in yourself. Because without faith under fire, true courage is confined.

What these athletes write about is their calling to be what they were meant to be: A body in motion with their souls exposed in this, the worlds toughest sport.