Tri Hearter: 303 plays matchmaker for Athletes in Tandem, Rinny

It’s year end review time. Who can you thank who has made your great memories this year? Can it be someone who isn’t related to you, doesn’t see you often, and is at every race or event that you are?
When I opened my Facebook feed this morning the first thing I saw was P.J. Snyder’s year in review. He thanked founder and Executive Director Dennis Vandeerheiden of Athletes in Tandem (AIT) for making half of his great moments in 2015. P.J. has Angelman’s syndrome and Dennis has pulled P.J. across the finish line in many triathlons. When asked what is the toughest part of racing for him, P.J. says, “Nothing really hard for me – takes effort on mom to get me to events and help with transitions.”
It’s this spirit of giving that attracted Mirinda “Rinny” Carfrae to want to help AIT. She was looking for a local charity to support along with her sponsor, New Balance. 303Triathlon.com recommended a couple organizations for her to contemplate and she chose Athletes in Tandem. When asked why, she said, “It’s important for me to get involved with charities that support the sport, and seeing first-hand a few athletes being able to enjoy what I get to do professionally is very satisfying. I look forward to working with them and watching them meet their goals.”
Dennis told me that he struggles at times because he can’t quantify his efforts, but he has several athletes who have lived far beyond their projected life expectancy. He is convinced, and there is some growing evidence to support this, that the happiness and adrenaline we feel as athletes in competing and training makes us healthier from that alone. Rinny’s response to this was – and is – part of her “why”: “I can’t agree more. I think this was one of the reasons I was attracted to the sport originally. You can’t deny the great feelings of confidence, health and overall joy when pushing yourself physically, reaching a goal or just enjoying a post workout moment. With any sport comes goal setting even if you don’t write them down. This sport is special with so many events and distances to choose from and strive for. It must be so fulfilling to see these athletes first-hand respond and break the ceiling of preconceived barriers with life expectancy while enjoying amazing friendships and destinations that triathlon and endurance sports provide.”
When I asked Dennis his “why” – why does this man do more than 30 triathlons to help those who can’t do it on their own, those he barely knows, those races that leave him exhausted, he says, “This is not a ‘me’ world, this is an ‘us’ world. I got tired of chasing times and wanted to give others a chance to share the sport I love.”
P.J. achieved Ironman status at Ironman Boulder in 2014, and articulates what being able to race has meant to him: “I am so much more healthy since getting involved with AIT; active lifestyle, being outside and around so many positive people that accept me and don’t focus on my disability.” He further adds, “I can have a meaningful and fun-filled life and bring awareness to this disease by racing.”
It’s this symbiotic relationship where one charity benefits from another that is so powerful. In triathlon, it seems relationships are paramount when athletes help other athletes compete and enjoy the lifelong benefits of racing and participating. This is an interesting parallel that permeates this sport, and builds our close-knit community.