A 25th anniversary usually calls for a nice dinner or perhaps a relaxing holiday unless you happen to be an avid triathlete.
Tsawwassen's Mike Starko celebrated the milestone of his first-ever triathlon by competing in last month's Arizona Ironman where he not only turned in a personal best performance but did it for a good cause too.
The 48-year-old father of three decided to turn the race into a fund raiser for Right to Play - a global organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world.
"Competing in sports has been a big part of my life and provided me with so many positive things," he said. "I thought creating the same kind of opportunities for others who are less fortunate was a great cause."
The Arizona event would be Starko's fifth Ironman although, for a good part of the year, he was unsure if he would be able to compete.
He was sidelined for much of the spring after surgery, then a bike accident which left him with a fractured arm and two cracked ribs. It wasn't until July, when he was healthy enough to participate in a half triathlon in Victoria, that he realized Arizona was within reach.
By the end of August, he launched his fund raiser campaign and was overwhelmed by the support from his family, friends and colleagues. Starko decided to match the funds and, as an added incentive, would donate an additional $10 for every minute he improved on his previous best Ironman time.
He went on to finish 294th out of nearly 3,000 entries, completing the gruelling race (3.86 km swim, 180 km bike ride and 42.2 km run) in 10 hours and 42 minutes. More importantly, he improved his PB time by 87 minutes. When all was said an done, nearly $11,000 was raised for Right to Play.
Starko only has one priority on his 2013 calendar.
"A race like that just takes so much time to prepare for," he said. "I'm just looking forward to spending some time with my family."
