Mike Menzel, a friend of i have. i give's Katie Bond, and a supporter of the i have. i give. Project sat down with i have. i give.'s Andrea Bucci and discussed his upcoming participation in the Iron Man and how what i have. i give. means to him. Read on to find out more
Q: What triathlon are you participating in and what is the mileage that you will cover?
A: The triathlon that I am doing is the Iron Man in Wisconsin. I will be swimming for 2.4 miles, biking for 112 miles and running for 6.2 miles; all of this totals to be about 140.6 miles.
Q: 140.6 miles; that intimidates me just hearing about it. What would motivate you do such an extreme triathlon?
A: I was a heavy smoker and I indulged heavily in fast food. In 1998 I decided I wanted to pursue a healthy lifestyle and I pulled a 180 on the way that I was living and I started to enjoy the benefits that I was seeing and feeling of being healthy. At the time, my employer was a sponsor of the Iron Man, the first time that I worked an Iron Man race I went in feeling intimidated because I thought that the people that participated in this event were going to be the most elite athletes. At that same event, I was fortunate enough to witness something that inspired me and brought me to believe that I too could partake one day in the Iron Man. As I watched four men pulled one guy out with no legs out of the water to throw him back in to swim his second lap. At that moment I knew I had to stop wishing I could do something like this and start doing. I began to ask myself, what does it mean when you say you never could do anything like that if you have never tried?
Q: Why did you want to be involved with i have. i give?
A: The initial reason was Katie. I knew Katie and I know her spirit, her commitment and her heart and I knew that this was something that I needed to look into. I also was so intrigued by the name; i have. i give. It is true, we all have plenty to give and as I mentioned before I knew that if I can do something I will; that’ s what got me to do the race in the first place. So that’s what I am doing, giving of what I have.
Q: I like how you said, if I can do something I will; what was your motivation to begin getting involved?
A: I wanted to begin to commit more of my time by being present at events, being hands on and volunteering when and where I could/can.
Q: What characteristics do you admire in those you look up to?
A: Drive and the ability to accomplish making other people better off. Lance Armstrong is a good example of this. Although he is best known for being the second most decorated cyclist in the world, he has accomplished more in fundraising for cancer; raised hundreds of millions of dollars and most importantly has changed many lives for the better.
Thank you to Mike for taking time to sit down and discuss this with Andrea. Good luck at the triathlon Mike!