David Martin: Ironman Motivated by Sister-In-Law’s Cancer Journey
How David’s Sister-in-Law's Cancer Journey Motivated Him to Qualify for the Ironman World Championships
A former college football player, David was not a distance runner. But then his first date with his wife, a former college soccer player, was a two-mile run. He jokes that she went on about her day, while he went home and almost passed out.
Fast forward a few years, David was looking for a way to get back in shape after gaining weight during his wife’s pregnancy. It started with running around the block. Then a 5K. Then a 10K. Then a half marathon. Then a marathon. Then, he qualified for the Boston Marathon. Finally, a friend asked him to do an Ironman triathlon.
An Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run, an incredible feat of endurance and determination. Similar to his running progression, he built up to the race. First was a short triathlon, called a sprint. Then was an Olympic distance triathlon. Then a Half Ironman.
“Then, we jumped into the big leagues and did my first Ironman in Madison, Wisconsin,” David said.
He was hooked. And he had a new goal: qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. To qualify, amateurs have to be in the top 2% of their age group in the world.
Thirteen Ironmans later, David was back in Madison, Wisconsin in 2023, aiming to qualify for Kona. Each race has limited qualifying spots, so he projected that he had to finish within the top two for his age group to have a chance at qualifying.
David was racing well, supported by an abundance of friends and family. With just around six miles to go in the marathon, he had a feeling that he needed to push just a little bit harder. He then thought of his sister-in-law.
David’s sister-in-law Carol was diagnosed with breast cancer less than a year before that race. She had no family history of cancer, and she was in good shape; the diagnosis was shocking to everyone. She went through chemotherapy and radiation, lost her hair, and lost significant weight, all within six months. But she got through it.
After completing treatment, Carol did a sprint triathlon with a group of breast cancer survivors. David served as her buddy to help her through the swimming portion of the race. Then, just months after beating cancer, she was in attendance to support him as he raced in Madison.
“She went through the pain and suffering of cancer, I can suffer for six miles, a half hour or whatever it is,” David said. “That drove me, motivated me to the finish line. In the final couple of miles, I passed a guy to come in second place. I actually beat the guy who finished in third by almost eight minutes.”
As David sat at the Awards Ceremony, they announced that only one spot was available for qualification. His heart sank. When they called the first-place finisher’s name, they also announced that he had previously qualified and declined the spot. After thousands of miles raced, David qualified for the Ironman World Championships.
“Besides getting married and having my daughter, maybe the third most amazing accomplishment in my life,” David said. “Just the amount of work, the amount of dedication, the amount of grinding, the amount of physical and mental stress, and it all came together and crossed the finish line and broke down in tears. And two years later, I’m still a little choked up about it.”
David competed in the 2024 Ironman World Championships, one of approximately 250 men in his age group from all around the world. Twenty-two family members, including Carol, went to support him, wearing matching t-shirts with pictures of his face.
“It was just amazing to be in Hawaii, on an island in the middle of the Pacific, riding my bike, running, and going through a lot of pain and mental pain,” David said. “It was just an amazing feeling to be there with all the other athletes and like, ‘Oh my gosh, this has finally happened.’”
As a big sports fan, David is familiar with the V Foundation for Cancer Research and Jim Valvano’s story. Each year he hosts a ‘guillotine’ fantasy football league, where the last place team each week is eliminated from the league. The winner of the league each year wins half the pot, while the other half is donated to the V Foundation.
“I just think I love fantasy football, and I love Jim Valvano and the V Foundation.”
David saw the impact of cancer research through his sister-in-law’s journey, in addition to the cancer journeys of other friends. He knows that investments in research are accelerating a better future.
“It seems cancer is becoming more and more prevalent, but also more and more curable,” David said. “I think one of the things that impresses me about the V Foundation is that everything goes toward research and finding the cure for cancer, and I’m really excited to see those results and what it does for us for the future.”