Sally Meyerhoff, a professional runner and triathlete from Arizona was killed Tuesday on a training ride when she collided with a pick-up truck. According to a press release from Maricopa County, prelimiary investigations show that she failed to yield at the intersection and collided with the pick-up truck. There were no indications of impairment of the driver of the pick-up truck.
Ms. Meyerhoff had won the Arizona Rock & Roll Marathon in her hometown, several NYRR races, and recently won the Rev3 Costa Rica Half Iron Tri. She was 27-years old. Our condolences go out to her friends and family.
I just saw the very sad news that Jim MacLaren passed away August 30 at the age of 47. He was an incredibly strong and motivational person and athlete. Below is the bio from his website.
"There are times I don't like the way my life went, but that doesn’t mean that I'm not in love with life," says the 43-year-old motivational speaker who created the Choose Living Foundation. "Is it fair what's happened to me? No, of course not. So what? I still have to get up in the morning. By engaging life, by moving what few muscles I have, my bed suddenly becomes an exercise mat."
At 14, MacLaren found acceptance at Vermont Academy, an exclusive boarding school where "there's nothing to do but play sports and study”. Following his passions for sports and performance brought Jim to the next level. His academic success propelled MacLaren to anIvy League education at Yale where he not only excelled in his course studies, but also lacrosse and football. He majored in theater studies while morphing into a 300-pound defensive end for the Bull Dogs.
Finishing his undergraduate work in 1985, he ventured to New York City, to train at the Circle in the Square Theatre School on Broadway. Three weeks later, leaving a late-night rehearsal session on his motorcycle, MacLaren was broadsided by a 40,000-pound city bus. Rushed to Bellevue Hospital, he was initially diagnosed as "dead on arrival."
After 18 hours of surgery doctors stabilized a comatose MacLaren and made a decision that would shape the next eight years of his life. They amputated his left leg below the knee. He awoke from his coma, rehabbed diligently, and attempted to resume his graduate studies at the Yale School of Drama. There, he started swimming, and picked up a book on triathlons that sparked his imagination. Soon, MacLaren was ready to resume life as an athlete, as a triathlete. "I felt like I was back in it, back in life," he says. "I didn't compete against other people. I was competing against me. A buddy once said, 'Mac, nobody cares how fast you go, they just love that you're doing it.'
"I told him I care. I never wanted to be taken for granted, as that guy with the fake leg. So I just kept pushing myself."
MacLaren became a media sensation in the fledgling sport of triathlons, paving the way for a new generation of disabled athletes. He competed and set scores of records in some of the toughest races on the planet, including the New York City Marathon and the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, and routinely finished ahead of 80 percent of the able-bodied athletes.
Then, on June 6, 1993, his life took another cruel turn. He was in Mission Viejo, California, racing another triathlon. Two miles into the bike leg, on a closed course, a traffic marshal misjudged MacLaren's speed approaching an intersection. The marshal directed a van to cross the street, and the van and MacLaren collided. Hurled into a signpost, MacLaren broke his neck at the C5 vertebrae, paralyzing him.
Slowly, MacLaren pulled himself back again, grappling with seemingly insurmountable obstacles and even reclaiming some motor function of his limbs. Most importantly, he fostered an inner force that enabled him to act in ways he couldn't as an able-bodied athlete. "It took two years of self study, going deep, and then deeper again," he says. "And, sometime in 2000-2001, I chose life."
Alberto Arroyo claimed to be the first person to jog around the Central Park Reservoir, and by the time he died in a Manhattan nursing home at 94 on Thursday, who could dispute him? What is certain is that generations of runners came to treasure the leathery-skinned gentleman with flowing white hair and matching mustache as a peculiarly New York institution.
Megan Charlop (pictured to the left with her daughter), a veteran public health advocate who worked at Montefiore Medical Center for over 25 years was killed this morning while riding her bike to work. In 1999, Charlop was one of 10 recipients to receive the national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health and Leadership Program award for her lead poisoning prevention work at Montefiore.
Following her death, Philip O. Ozuah, MD, the head of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, released this statement:
It is with the deepest sadness that I write to inform you of the untimely death of a good friend, long-time Montefiore employee, and champion for the health and social well-being of the families of the Bronx. Megan Charlop, Director of Community Health for the School Health Program and a former administrator of the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, died earlier today doing something she truly loved, riding her bike on her way to work. Police report that Megan swerved her bike to avoid an opening car door and veered into the path of a bus. She was killed instantly. Megan's work for Montefiore and the people of the Bronx literally touched thousands of her co-workers and residents of the Borough. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her husband, Richard Powers, her children and her entire family. We will be sharing more details as they become available.
When you're riding in traffic, please be aware of your surroundings. Always scan ahead for drivers in parked cars, and be aware of what's going on in the next lane . Worst case scenario, remember that a door won't kill you. If you don't know what's to your outside, never swerve to avoid getting doored. The door will hurt, but as this sad case shows us, avoiding a door can have far worse consequences. And drivers - please respect commuters. Never park in a bike land, and always heck before you open your door.
I'm sad to report the death of Randi Rosenberg, co-founder of the Young Survival Coalition, which continues to support women under the age 40 with cancer. Randi is survived by her husband Matt (who introduced me to YSC and helped us arrange for the Race Across the Window to support the cause) and their daughter Alexandra.
To learn more about Randi, read this tribute at Livestrong. And please continue to support the YSC's Tour de Pink and other events.
My friend Al Puma, a longtime fixture in the NY athletic scene passed away Friday after a long illness. Al was a competitive runner, multisport athlete and stair climber. In addition, he helped create and promote numerous races.
As many of you know, Kathleen Lewis - wife of Larry and mother of Larissa - was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in February. Sadly, Kathleen passed away last week. The Buffalo News has a touching story about her.
Please keep Larry and Larissa in your thoughts and prayers as they begin their lives without her.
Doug Stern passed away Monday morning June 25 after a brief, hard fight with kidney cancer.
Doug was a fixture in the New York swimming and triathlon community for decades as an athlete and coach. From his training vacations, to his swimming and deep water running classes, to acting as the chief bandit catcher at mile 26 at the marathon, Doug was everywhere - always opinionated and always positive.
While I only knew Doug for a few years, he made a tremendous impression on me. He was passionate about everything he did, and I have nothing but respect for him as a coach, as an athlete, and as a person.
RIP Randi Rosenberg
I'm sad to report the death of Randi Rosenberg, co-founder of the Young Survival Coalition, which continues to support women under the age 40 with cancer. Randi is survived by her husband Matt (who introduced me to YSC and helped us arrange for the Race Across the Window to support the cause) and their daughter Alexandra.
To learn more about Randi, read this tribute at Livestrong. And please continue to support the YSC's Tour de Pink and other events.
Posted at 12:03 PM in Coach's Comments, Non-Profit, RIP | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)