If there’s one word to sum up what it takes participate in Iron Man and triathlon races it has to be “endurance.” In a full Iron Man competition, athletes swim more than two miles, bike 112 miles, and then top it all off by running a full marathon.

Runner Paul Fleming participated in his first Iron Man competition in August, and for him, the word takes on a whole different meaning. Paul’s sister-in-law Barbara is suffering with an extremely virulent and incurable form of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Her journey not only inspired him to finish his attempt at a full triathlon, but it has also help raise awareness and needed funding for organizations seeking a cure.

“At one point I was so nauseous, my stomach was turning over, and I wanted nothing other than to crawl off into the bushes and recover for a couple of hours. The nausea was just overwhelming,” say Paul of his first Iron Man. “But I had Barbara’s name inscribed on my forearm and periodically I’d look down and say, ‘This can’t be any worse than chemo, that’s for sure.’”

Paul, an avid runner and marathoner for more than 20 years, had only recently begun to entertain the idea of trying to participate in a triathlon.

“About four years ago I had the benefit of being treated to a trip to Hawaii and right outside our doorway was the championship for the Iron Man and participants were biking past me. To me that was just astounding, and when we left the island, we were at the airport and saw the racers packing up their bikes and gear and what have you,” says Paul. “So, this guy with an Australian accent was checking in at the counter and it was evident he had been in the competition so I congratulated him, and then he turned to me and said, ‘How’d you do?’ and I was just flabbergasted that could possibly have been presumed to have been in that competition. So, I went back to my wife and said, ‘You won’t believe it, I was just mistaken for potentially being an Iron Man.’ I’ve been hooked ever since.”

Paul began training as soon as he returned home, and did a half Iron Man the following year. While the pandemic put a pause to the competitions, Paul continued to train. While the physical training is tough, Paul says it’s only matched the mental toughness required to finish.

“I will tell you that I found this event to be super over-whelming. Right up until within hours of cannons going off to start the race, I was totally, totally uncertain as to whether I could finish,” says Paul. “Just a marathon totally breaks you down, so these competitions are very difficult.”

When Barbara was diagnosed with GBM during Paul’s Iron Man training, his quest for an Iron Man conquest took a new direction. He participated in his first Iron Man event in Montreal earlier this summer, running in honor of Barbara. He pointed to Gray Nation Endurance of the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS)’s tagline that runners bring “meaning to their miles.”

“I wanted to add meaning to the pursuit of my Ironman conquest by bringing attention to the endurance, struggle, and battle that my sister-in-law Barbara faces every day. I wanted to bring ‘meaning to my miles’ in the hope that Barbara's spirits will be lifted by the outpouring of support expressed from caring followers, NBTS supporters and those that just want to tell her what a brave warrior she is,” says Paul.

Paul says that though he is running in Barbara’s honor, she both applauded and discouraged his plan to run an Iron Man.

“We were fortunate to stay with her this March as I launched my training. We had great laughs as she both applauded and discouraged the notion of swim, bike, run for 140 miles,” Paul says. “Who knew just a few weeks later, Barbara would be diagnosed with GBM, an aggressive form of brain cancer. In spite of everything, she remains positive and determined to fight for as much time as she can have.”

For more information or to donate to the organization, you can visit Paul’s “Gray Nation Endurance” page on the website of the National Brain Tumor Society page at: https://nbtsevents.braintumor.org/fundraiser/4021148