Brian Boyle knows all about going the extra mile. As an Ironman finisher who has also tackled 100-mile ultramarathons, the 31-year-old from Washington D.C. is an accomplished endurance athlete. Beyond that, however, he's a fighter, a survivor of a horrific car accident and, with a "just-live-life" attitude, he's the perfect person to author a children's book about determination. That's why [...]
Hector Picard was never a triathlete before he lost his arms. Today, the 51-year-old from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. swims, bikes and runs more miles in a given year than most people on this planet. Wait. Swimming and biking without arms? "I swim on my back and use my legs to propel myself through the water," he told us in 2015. [...]
Sister Madonna Buder, 87, is known as the "Iron Nun" for good reason. She's a Roman Catholic nun originally from St. Louis, who at 75 years old, became the oldest person to complete the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. That's a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. She didn't start racing until she was 48. However, since [...]
Editor’s note: Because Purpose2Play has been telling the stories of athletes, coaches, and fans for more than three years, we figure it’s about time to catch up with some of them to find out where they are now. As you’ll see, they’re still inspiring others and making the world a better place to live in. Where Are They Now? Catching [...]
Photo: ZEBRA Photography By Kim Constantinesco Surprises in life are inescapable. And, sometimes they arrive like a sucker-punch to the face. That's how Nick Watson, 47, felt when he and his wife, Delphine, learned that their oldest son Rio, 13, was diagnosed with 1q44 deletion denovo syndrome, a rare chromosome disorder characterized by seizures, severe learning disabilities, gross [...]
Have you seen the new Nike ad featuring 86-year-old nun, Sister Madonna Bruder? You should. She's a lean mean racing machine, who swims, bikes, and runs a lot of miles when she's not in church. According to Maryville.edu, she didn't take up the sport until she was 52 years old, but she has done more than 366 triathlons, including 46 [...]
Photo courtesy of Sarah Piampiano By Kim Constantinesco Sarah Piampiano, 35, met her perfect match one night in a New York City bar. No, she didn't fall head over heels for some charming suit-wearing man. Instead, her world expanded when she was introduced to triathlons. At the time, the vice president of mergers and acquisitions for HSBC's [...]
Bailey Matthews, 9, stole the hearts of many when video emerged last summer of him crossing the finish line of the Castle Howard Triathlon in North Yorkshire, England. Matthews has cerebral palsy and started the race with his walking frame, but then ditched it when he saw the finish line. As soon as he got rid of his walking support, [...]
Photo courtesy of Ryan Gambrell By Kristen Gowdy Ryan Gambrell never saw himself as a challenged athlete. When he was approached at youth karate tournaments, asked if he felt he was at a disadvantage, he never knew what to say. “I wouldn’t even know what they were talking about,” Gambrell said. “I thought maybe it was because [...]
By Brittany Alvarado Hector Picard shoots hoops and has done over 120 triathlons including an Ironman. He also happens to be a double-arm amputee. Check out our exclusive with Hector at his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Make sure to stick around till the end when he challenges Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade to a game of basketball.