A Special Egg

My foray into endurance sports all started standing in line to register for Ironman Lake Placid.  The day prior I was working an aid station on the run course when the girl I was dating at the time gave some woman with a big smile and a running skirt a huge hug.  I had no idea who this mysterious woman was at the time but her enthusiasm was infectious so I gave her a hug just the same.

The next day that same woman happened to be standing behind us in line to register; her joy at the race was a big motivation for me to sign up for IMLP '08.  Later on that woman became my first triathlon coach and someone who provided an amazing amount of emotional support during my first year with type 1 diabetes.  Her name, Mary Eggers, or to me the Egg.

Egg has always had crazy ambitions; she never doubted that I would finish my first IM with a smile on my face (having never done an endurance event when I first signed up for IMLP), she never doubted that I could push myself beyond perceivable limits and she never doubted my ability to tackle diabetes.  She has brought that same support and enthusiasm to Teens Living with Cancer; a non-profit devoted to helping kids fighting cancer.

So it came as no surprise to me when she called out none other than Lance Armstrong to a kick off in buffalo on April 28th.  Lance will be in Buffalo for a public speaking opportunity so the Egg thought nothing of it when she challenged him on Twitter and wrote this amazing blog post challenging LA.  When Egg gets an idea in her head it's pretty tough to convince her otherwise.  So it also came as no surprise to me that Lance RESPONDED TO MARY EGGERS ON TWITTER!

Armstrong v Eggers will go down in late April in Buffalo.  This excites me for a ton of reasons, it shows the good that social media can bring, it shows how an ambitious woman's idea can bring help and joy to others and it shows that when someone is committed to doing great things for others all the tools we need are right there in front of us.  Good luck Egg, I'll be cheering you on and I don't see how its possible not to get excited about what you just accomplished.  Readers, check out the charity, check out the challenge and if you knew this woman as well as I do you'd expect nothing else from her.