Nesh Photography

I would like to share with you an inspiring story of my friend Doug . I meet Doug a year after I moved in United States. I worked as bartender and Doug was my customer at the bar. We become friends , roommates , we worked together. Doug got involved in my life in many different ways. Our friendship have ups and downs . I had a chance to know Doug in probably worst  period in his life and that’s why I think this is incredible powerful and inspiring story. Doug is a great man , who was strong  enough to face the biggest problem in his life – Alcohol and make his dream come true.

Doug , I am really proud of you

This is Doug’s story,

“As I sit on this plane on my way to Colorado to participate in Ironman Boulder which will be my 13th full distance ironman, I begin to reflect on the journey that has brought me to this moment. Almost 9 years ago I awoke on November 17th, 2006 hungover, fat and hopeless. My kidneys hurt( or at least I thought that’s what the pain was), the alcoholic in me was beginning to take over, I was almost 4 stone overweight ( stone=14lbs), and I had no hopes or dreams, except to find someone who loved me as much as I did them. A prospect which seemed impossible in my current state, I hated myself and because of which I had made my outsides look the way I felt on the inside. It was at that moment I knew if I didn’t make a change I was going to die, maybe not immediately but nonetheless sooner than I would like. I thought I must do something big, I had heard of Ironman, so I said to myself, “I’m going to do that Ironman thing”. I recalled a conversation I had about 5 yrs earlier with an ex-girlfriend about her new love interest, she said he was training for Ironman Lake Placid. I hesitantly asked what that was, I didn’t really want to know the answer because it sounded adventurous and athletic, something alcohol had taken away from me, and since I wasn’t seeing anyone at the time, my self-esteem was very low. She said it was a triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike, and a full 26.2 mile run. I vividly remember while laughing out loud whilst feeling completely inferior, I said, “that will NEVER be me”…….

I decided to go to 90 AA meetings in 90 days, I only made it to day 13. I didn’t feel like I belonged in the rooms, I hadn’t completely surrendered to the increasingly obvious fact that I was alcoholic. I did fairly well on my own, I was sober 9 months, oddly enough I started drinking again on the plane to the UK, days before not after the Ironman. I managed to keep it together enough that it didn’t affect my race, even though after one night of drinking at a local pub I drove back to my B & B, completely wasted, incredibly dangerous as I sat on the right side of the car on the left side of the road, because it’s the UK. Insanity. After that first Ironman, I thought if I can do this, I should be able to control my drinking. Nothing could’ve been further from the truth. I continued to sober up just long enough to train for races but drank after every race, I had become what they call a chronic relapser. I maintained this behavior through my first 8 ironmans. It wasn’t until February 11th, 2013, after the drinking had escalated, that I finally surrendered. I was completely exhausted from the fight, Alcohol had won, I was happy to concede defeat. Hi, my name is Doug, I’m an alcoholic…

After receiving a phone call/e-mail from World Triathlon Corporation, Guaranteeing my selection for Legacy 2016, as long as I finished a qualifying race in 2015, all I needed to do was finish Ironman #13. Which I did in 12:41:48. As if crossing that virtual Kona qualifying line wasn’t exhilarating enough, who was there to put my medal around my neck? Brian Rhodes!! The professional who won my first Ironman in the UK, 8years ago, funny how things come full circle. I also met “Rinny” the current world champion, who wished me luck in KONA. Needless to say, It was a good day. In conclusion, in eight short years I took my life, turned it upside down and shook it out. I went from a fat hopeless codependent drunk was I sit on this plane on my way to Colorado to participate in Ironman Boulder which will be my 13th full distance ironman, I begin to reflect on the journey that has brought me to this moment. Almost 9 years ago I awoke on November 17th, 2006 hungover, fat and hopeless. My kidneys hurt( or at least I thought that’s what the pain was), the alcoholic in me was beginning to take over, I was almost 4 stone overweight ( stone=14lbs), and I had no hopes or dreams, except to find someone who loved me as much as I did them. A prospect which seemed impossible in my current state, I hated myself and because of which I had made my outsides look the way I felt on the inside. It was at that moment I knew if I didn’t make a change I was going to die, maybe not immediately but nonetheless sooner than I would like. I thought I must do something big, I had heard of Ironman, so I said to myself, “I’m going to do that Ironman thing”. I recalled a conversation I had about 5 yrs earlier with an ex-girlfriend about her new love interest, she said he was training for Ironman Lake Placid. I hesitantly asked what that was, I didn’t really want to know the answer because it sounded adventurous and athletic, something alcohol had taken away from me, and since I wasn’t seeing anyone at the time, my self-esteem was very low. She said it was a triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike, and a full 26.2 mile run. I vividly remember while laughing out loud whilst feeling completely inferior, I said, “that will NEVER be me”…….”