Michael Hennessey's Article That Was Pulled From Ironman.com

for reasons we do not know, the article below appeared - and then disappeared from Ironman.com. If you click this link a few times, it might work. It's hidden on their server. Maybe we should all write the author and let him know - nicely, everyone - how much we support this man.

Ironmanlife: Michael Hennessey's Mission

Kevin Mackinnon profiles the man behind Ironman for Kids

Published Friday, June 13, 2008

While I am fully aware that attempting 20 Ironman races in a year is tough, Michael Hennessey isn't likely to get a whole lot of sympathy each time he returns from a race over the next year. Not when he's leaving his saint of a wife, Janelle, back home with ... are you ready for this ... six kids, the oldest a whopping seven years old.

I can remember when our oldest was seven. Her two younger brothers were five and two. My wife claims I covered as many races as I did for no other reason than to escape the bedlam of the household. That was with three. I can't imagine what it's like to deal with six. Heck, they probably have had at least three kids in diapers for the last four years.You’d have to have a pretty good reason to head out the door for 20 Ironman races over a year, knowing that you’re leaving that sort of work behind you, and Hennessey certainly has that. Hennessey has started a non-profit charity called Ironman for Kids. The charity is raising money to bring awareness of a genetic disorder called trisomy to the world.

Trisomy is a genetic disorder associated with the presence of extra material in the chromosomes. Trisomy 13 has as extra 13th chromosome, where as trisomy 18 has an extra 18th chromosome. Down’s Syndrome is trisomy 21.

“But the other trisomy syndromes don't get as much attention (compared to Down’s) until a mother is diagnosed at birth or prenatally with the early prenatal screening,” wrote TheresAnn, who’s daughter Natalia was born with trisomy 13, in an e-mail earlier this week. “In most cases families are told their child will not survive, futile to treat and the treatment option prenatally is termination or early induction. Trisomy families just want to bring awareness out so all families are informed of their options, so they, the parents can make the decisions, and not have the decisions made for them.”

Hennessey is working hard to help us all be aware of the syndrome, but he’s learning the hard way that it’s not going to be easy to achieve any of his goals. He had originally envisioned doing 18 Ironman races in a year, which he figured would get him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. That was until Stefaan Engels heard about his goal. Engels had planned 15 Ironman races this year … then moved that goal up to 18 so he could compete with Hennessey. I’m actually afraid to publish this column – now the two of them will likely start looking for mid-week Ironman events so they can get more in.

“I’m also learning that getting to the start line of all these races is often harder than the race itself,” Hennessey says. On his way to Ironman Brazil a few weeks ago, the 42-year-old Texan was kicked off the plane until he could get a visa. A whirlwind tour of Houston got him to the Brazilian consulate in time – he got to the race with 16 hours to spare.

Hennessey isn’t just trying to finish most of these events, either. He’s hoping to complete Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 10 hours next weekend, which he hopes will net him a qualifying spot for Kona in the 40 to 44 age group.

There’s only one man on the planet who would agree to coach anyone with a race schedule that includes 18 to 20 Ironmans – that would be Petr Vabrousek, who routinely finishes eight to 12 Ironman and long distance triathlon events a year, almost always in the top-five. I think the only reason the Czech pro is helping Hennessey is so that he can finally answer the inevitable “Why do you do so many Ironman races every year?” question at every press conference with “I’m only doing half as many as the guys I’m coaching.”

Hennessey is quickly becoming a living endorsement of Ironman’s “Anything is Possible” theme. He did his first Ironman in 1984 when, as an 18-year-old, he was the third-to-last finisher in Kona in 16:53. Twenty years later he raced at Ford Ironman Florida, where he knocked more than six hours off his time. Now he’s trying to get back to Kona again, all-the-while raising money and awareness for a great cause.
Just ask ThereseAnn, who I’m sure would be more than willing to help Janelle out any time, despite her own challenges at home. I hope you’ll find a way to help out, too.

You can learn more about the program at www.ironmanforkids.com

You can reach Kevin Mackinnon at kevin@ironman.com