When the Finish Line

WHEN THE FINISH LINE BECOMES THE STARTING LINE

BY EMMA WRIGHT ('20)

17 HOURS, 140.6 MILES, 1 FINISH LINE. This is the challenge of the IronMan World Championship held in Kona, Hawaii each year; the olympic-level competition in the world of triathlons. This is the race that Southern Nazarene University alumnus Rian Smoak (‘96) completed in 2017, inspiring him to share the gift of perseverance with his community.

Bryce Wooten and Rian Smoak

Competing in cycling portion of Ironman Boulder Triathlon

From an early age, Smoak was drawn to athletic activities, preferring to go for a run, swim or bike as a kid. It was around this time when he discovered triathlons: “It was a Saturday in December of 1986, and ABC had a show called the ‘Wide World of Sports.’ I remember seeing the IronMan World Championships on TV, and I just sat down on the couch mezmorized… I remember thinking ‘I wanna do that one day,’ and that’s when the seed was planted.”

After graduating from SNU, getting married and starting a family, Smoak finally decided, in the early 2010’s, to begin training for triathlons. After struggling on his own to persevere, Smoak began to train with a friend, and it was through this community of athletes that he was able to continue working toward his goal, and help others, as well. In 2014, Smoak began a non-profit business aimed at creating a community of triathletes that would “see a need, fix a need,” naming it TriDAT (Do Amazing Things).

Feeling as if God was calling him to “do more” with TriDAT but not quite knowing what that looked like, Smoak got the opportunity of a lifetime: after participating in marathons and triathlons for 6 or 7 years, he was invited to the IronMan World Championship in Hawaii in 2017, living out his childhood dream some 30 years after that first seed was planted.

Throughout the race, Smoak’s posture was consistently one of gratitude. It was this attitude that provided him with a profound moment of clarity: “Coming down to the finish line… I walked off, and something just told me that I needed to stop and look back… I looked at the finish line, and God just placed the answer right in front of me: I want to give someone the opportunity to cross that finish line and feel that jubilation of the hard work and perseverance paying off, listening to the crowd cheer. I knew then, that that’s what TriDAT was meant to be. The finish line became the new starting line.”

THE FINISH LINE BECAME THE NEW STARTING LINE

With this newfound clarity, Smoak sought out one of his son’s friends, Bryce Wooten, to run with him. Wooten is confined to a wheelchair due to Cerebral Palsy, yet eagerly responded to Smoak’s enthusiasm, training together to run in marathons with the ultimate goal to participate in the IronMan World Championship in Hawaii. As Wooten grew in confidence, Smoak continued to grow as a triathlete. In June of 2019, the duo was given the opportunity to complete their goal and participate in the IronMan World Championship together.

“There are only a few teams in the world that have completed an event like that,” said Smoak. “We had 17 hours to finish… and it took every ounce of perseverance from both of us to finish. It took us 16 hours and 23 minutes of non-stop movement… At some points, I thought to myself, ‘What am I doing? Why am I doing this?’ But I so badly wanted his mom to see her son cross that finish line… And Bryce finally got that moment on the red carpet once we crossed that finish line.” At the finish line was Smoak’s wife and Wooten’s

THERE ARE ONLY A FEW TEAMS IN THE WORLD THAT HAVE COMPLETED AN EVENT LIKE THAT.

Smoak and Wooten prepping for kayaking portion of Redman Triathlon in OKC Hitting their stride at the Ironman Boulder Triathlon in 2019

mom, placing the medals over their heads. “It was one of those moments where God quieted the noise and helped me focus on Bryce and his mom’s moment together.”

Being transformed by one another, both physically and personally, their friendship blossomed into one of contagious perseverance, and challenging one another to give back to the community. Beginning with a chapel service at SNU, the duo slowly began sharing their story with the public, opening the door for Wooten to grow in confidence and become a nationally certified public speaker, the president of the Oklahoma chapter of Toastmasters, and participate in public speaking competitions.

Through Smoak and Wooten’s stories of perseverance, an entire community has been moved. It is Smoak’s dream that Wooten will become the spokesperson for TriDAT, telling his story all over the world, while Smoak continues his job in international healthcare sales. Smoak adamantly expressed that, while he is proud of his accomplishments, it is Bryce’s story of perseverance and transformation that embodies the ideals of TriDAT. While Rian Smoak acknowledges that his time as a triathlete is coming closer to an end as he gets older, he still continues to inspire others with his contagious perseverance and posture of gratitude as he and Bryce compete together. 