USU grad raises $5,000 in Ironman
Utah State University graduate Scott Shine competed in an Ironman triathlon in September and raised more than $5,000, which he donated to charity.
With a degree from USU in environmental studies and work experience as a water resource manager, Shine decided to use his athletic talents to help those less-fortunate. The charity he donated to, Water for People, is a non-profit organization that builds wells and sanitation facilities in impoverished communities.
“I didn’t want (the race) just to be something that I did for myself,” he said.
The charity appealed to Shine because he said it works with individual communities in countries like Nicaragua and Honduras and uses methods best-suited for them, with no operating expenses coming from donations.
He had friends and family donate money per mile of the competition he completed. The Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.
“At first I thought, ‘That’s crazy,'” the 23-year-old graduate student said.
Totaling 140.6 miles, the Ironman is known as the pinnacle event for triathletes in the world, Shine said.
He began running and biking while attending USU and got really serious about it after moving to Eugene, Ore., where he competed in five shorter triathlons and placed in his first race, he said.
Shine and his wife, Jenny, made the decision to enter the Ironman triathlon in January and from there, “It all kind of fell into place,” he said. He began training and formed a Web site where people could donate to their cause, known as “Team Hydrate.”
“It was definitely Scott’s idea,” Jenny Shine said.
Registration for the competition usually fills up the day after the previous year’s race, she said, and the likelihood of Shine getting in was slim. But as a graduate student at the University of Oregon, he qualified to enter the collegiate division.
Shine trained seven days a week for the competition, exercising in the mornings by running or biking for 45 minutes to two hours a day. He swam two days a week and would run and bike on Saturdays and Sundays. At his peak, he says he trained for 20 hours a week.
“What motivates me is my faith,” Shine said.
He says he wants to use the talents God has given him to help others, even when it means a big commitment.
“If we were going to put that much time and that much effort into something, we wanted it to help other people out,” Jenny Shine said.
As a triathlete herself, she helped with her husband’s time-consuming training regime by making homemade energy bars and smoothies.
“He always called me the Team Hydrate nutritionist,” she said.
She also drove alongside him when he went for long bike-rides and runs to make sure he was OK.
“I felt like I was contributing indirectly,” she said.
The race was held in Shine’s home state, Wisconsin, and he said he and his wife of 15 months thought it would be good to make a family trip out of it.
The weather conditions on the day of the event were less than desirable, he said, as cold temperatures and rain made the competition even more challenging.
Two thousand-four hundred participants began the first event of the competition, a two-loop swim in Lake Monona, making it the largest mass swim start in history, he said. About 2,100 people finished all three events.
Shine placed 131 out of the 2,100 participants and eighth place in the 18-24 age group out of 87 participants with his time of 10 hours and 50 minutes. The men’s winner, Markus Forster of Germany, finished with a time of 9 hours 7 minutes, according to the Ironman Web site.
The last two miles of the race were the hardest, Shine said, with each step sending shocks through his legs, though he never considered not finishing.
“I had to complete all of (the miles) to get the total donations,” he said.
Donations ranged from 25 cents per mile to $10 a mile, Scott said, and by the time he made it to Wisconsin for the race, he had raised about $4,100.
“It was amazing to see people step up. They were really generous,” he said.
About $900 short of his $5,000 goal, Shine said he was still very pleased with the results and he took strength from knowing that his efforts were helping other people.
His goal did not remain unmet, however, as Scott was awarded the Everyday Hero award from Ironman sponsor Ford Motor Company. Ford donated an additional $1,000 as part of the recognition.
“I felt very fortunate,” he said.
Scott said he is considering competing in next year’s June Ironman in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. As a recipient of the Everyday Hero award, registration into another Ironman triathlon is covered. He hopes to see Team Hydrate expand to include other runners and will seek donations from more sources, including businesses.
mof@cc.usu.edu