wellness
Spreading good health While Robinson thrives on bringing top athletes to Kansas, he also believes that Ironman races and marathons are more than extreme feats and top times. A competitor with six Ironman races under his own belt, Robinson says the events can serve as a path to good health. “Some people think that it’s all for the elite, and it really isn’t,” Robinson says. “I always say registering for an event like this is the best money you can spend as far as toward your health because it’s a daily motivator to go out there and train. It’s just you against the course, and you know there’s no easy way to get it done. “Not every athlete there is an elite athlete. You don’t know where they’ve come from. You don’t know if maybe they’ve dropped 80 pounds to be able to do this today or what kind of life accomplishment it is for them. … Those accomplishments are just as important as the guy who crosses first across the finish line.” Robinson says that locals who didn’t compete in the events this year might nonetheless become infected with some good habits. “It gets people on that three-year plan or four- or five-year plan in order to go and complete an Ironman,” says Robinson. “We’ve noticed across the country when Ironman events do come in, because they do create such a buzz, that it really does kind of help out some of those smaller events and increases their participation and health awareness across the board.” m
sunflowerpub.com
/ fall 2009 / Lawrence Magazine
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