What motivates you? For athletes, pro and amateur alike, the drive to push harder can come from a wide range of sources. Some want simply a challenge for the sake of it. Others seek a way to stay young or feel better. For Arizona surgeon John “Mac” Gillis, the drive to undertake an Ironman 70.3 Triathlon was something much bigger.
In April 2011, as Gillis and his wife, Heather, welcomed their third child, Bowen, they learned their newborn son suffered from polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The Gillises lost him to the disease after only 13 days. Not long after that, Gillis decided to train for the triathlon both to honor his son and to raise more than $20,000 and awareness for PKD. He spoke recently about why he did it.
TOYOTA: AN IRONMAN 70.3 IS A DEMANDING EVENT — IT COMPRISES A 1.2-MILE SWIM, 56-MILE BIKE AND 13.1-MILE RUN. TALK ABOUT YOUR DECISION TO COMMIT TO IT.
John “Mac” Gillis (JMG): I always thought an Ironman was something I would do someday, but now I had a purpose. I wanted to do something to honor Bowen and the challenges that he went through. I didn’t want to do “just a run” — I needed to do something that would not only be extremely challenging, but also be demanding, in commemoration of Bowen. So, after some thought, I decided to do the Ironman. The Ironman is more about endurance and strength rather than just a race. It made sense.
In order to participate in Tempe near my home, I was forced to complete the training in about 20 weeks for the October event. I knew the shortened training time would be painful, but after seeing what Bowen went through … it paled in comparison. It was my personal tribute to my son.
TOYOTA: DID YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH TRIATHLONS IN THE PAST?
JMG: My wife thought I was crazy when I told her what I wanted to do (laughs). She said, “You’ve only done one sprint tri in your life!” I’ve done some running in the past, but nothing remotely close to what the Ironman 70.3 demanded.
TOYOTA: SO AT LEAST YOU HAD SOME EXPERIENCE WITH RUNNING. HOW ABOUT THE OTHER TWO LEGS?
JMG: The swimming leg of the race was definitely the most challenging for me. It’s something I’ve never done before. The first time I swam 250 meters I was totally out of breath. But I took advantage of the master swim classes at Life Time and that really helped me improve my swimming techniques.
TOYOTA: TRAINING FOR A TRIATHLON IS TIME-INTENSIVE. HOW DID YOU FIT IN WORKOUTS AROUND FAMILY LIFE AND A CAREER AS AN ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGEON?
JMG: I did a lot of early-morning training. I begin seeing patients at 7:30 a.m., but we had one of the hottest summers on record in Arizona, so it paid to be out early when the temperatures were cooler. I saved the longer workouts for the weekend when my time was a little more flexible.
TOYOTA: YOU’VE RAISED AWARENESS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR PKD. BUT HOW HAS THIS PROCESS BEEN FOR YOU PERSONALLY?
JMG: I’m not the best at expressing my feelings, so it has been therapeutic for me. Going out on the long training rides all by myself has been a good way to grieve. Even though Bowen was with us for only 13 days, he profoundly changed my perspective. We are spending our extra time fundraising and raising awareness for PKD. I’ve realized that life is truly short. I try not to be in such a rush. I try to slow down. I am trying to dedicate my time to my wife, to my two other young children [Brooklyn, 4, and Blake, 2]. I know God has a plan and we are not in control. I look forward to seeing Bowen again one day in heaven.
