Competing in the top level Ironman triathlon is something that relatively few people on this Earth have ever attempted. Even fewer have completed.
Then there’s Justin True from Bend. The 30-year-old recently did his own 3,600-mile triathlon across the country. It was a mission to raise funds and awareness for mental health.
“It’s like the saying ‘How do you eat an elephant?’ And you go little by little,” Justin said.
“I’m a vegetarian, so that’s probably not very good,” he added with a laugh.
Justin had one of the most ambitious, or some might say crazy, ideas to put his body, mind, and spirit to the test.
“It started out as a very small egg and eventually started to grow and grow and grow. Now it ended up being a 3,600-mile trip across the United States.”
Why?
“I was beaten growing up. Homeless at times and my dad kicked me out of the house and I had nowhere to go. Sleep on park benches. Sleeping in my friends pool sheds and too embarrassed to tell anyone about it and talk about what was going on. My brother overdosed 15 times while he was growing up. My mom being stabbed.
“This is not what I set out to do, man. This is not life. I didn’t choose to be here. Why should I be here? None of us chose to be here. Why can’t I choose to quit and finish it?
“So I tried it. And I realized that that is not the way to go. Luckily, I was able to fail twice and found out that he was meant to be here.
“I’ve always had to do these challenges to keep myself busy. Have a goal in mind of what you wanted to do.”
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And what Justin wanted to do was inspire. Inspire anyone who may be going through their own mental health issues and struggles. So on the first day of May, the first day of Mental Health Awareness Month, Justin dove into the water and set off on his journey.
“I swam from Key Largo to South Beach Miami, which led to a 2,900-mile cycle from Miami to Belmont Park in San Diego. And then a 600-mile run from Belmont Park to the Golden Gate Bridge.”
There were challenges and adversities along the way, but Justin’s message was a constant.
“No matter what lows, highs, or lows you’re going through and don’t think it’s ever going to get better, keep telling yourself ‘It’s going to get better, it’s going to get better’ and ‘Today may not be my day. . Tomorrow may not be my day. There is a shark. The next day there are jellyfish that could kill me. Well, obviously this is not my day, but soon I will continue fighting. I’ll keep fighting for tomorrow and I’ll get hit by a car. Well, today is not my day. But I’m going to keep fighting for that day that’s going to make it all worthwhile.’
“You never know when you’re finally going to have that day where you’re so happy you made it. And I wanted to inspire people by doing that no matter what. Keep fighting. Do it for tomorrow. Promise yourself that if you make it to tomorrow, it will be okay. And if it’s not okay, make that promise again. And, eventually, those will add up to 5, 10, 15 years and a life you’re proud of… hanging on.”
He eventually ran across the Golden Gate Bridge, ending his journey a little more than six weeks after it began.
Justin raised over $20,000 to raise awareness for mental health, and more importantly, he proved to himself and anyone who would pay attention that anything is possible.
“There is a reason my brother survived. There is a reason my mother survived. There is a reason I survived. I want to live to tell that story and I hope that one person can connect somewhere and know that everything is going to be okay no matter what. You need to keep it in your head. And overall, I just want to make my mom proud.”
Justin said it was the messages that came through on social media that kept him going. Anyone who came up and said that he was inspired or had been motivated to make a positive change in their lives was what fed him on a daily basis.
Justin hopes to write a book and release a documentary in the future about his experience.
For more information or to donate to his cause, go to https://www.truetriathlon.org/
