Running on Faith

Last year this little team of 5 misfits raised over $7000.00 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.  What will our hopefully much larger team do this year?  $10,000.00?  $15,000.00?  More?  Only time will tell.

Hello All,

We are trying to get things moving with Team Running on Faith.   So far 5 of us have entered the race, and we know of at least 5 others who will.  If you have an interest in running the 5K, half-marathon or marathon in December and want to join the team then leave us a comment.

For that matter, if you have any comments on the website or ideas for the team, let us know.

We plan on making this site a focal point for our training, fundraising and of course our racing.

So check back often!

So who is Timbeaux?  For that matter, what is a Timbeaux?  In Mississippi, I think it is a restaurant.  In relation to this website, it is me.

You could probably delve deeper into my psyche by visiting my other website, www.timbeaux.com.  But for the purposes of this “Bio”, I will give you the Cliff notes version.

I was a runner for most of my childhood (after a 4 year motorcycle racing career).  I loved to run.  I ran everything from the 400 hurdles to a marathon when I was 15 years old.  It was great…..until my senior year of track when I got burnt out running in circles.  So I quit running after high school.

Fast forward 15 or so years and now I was married with children (much better looking wife and kids than the sitcom).  The first time I played with my kids in the back yard I realized I was out of shape.  And that was not good.  I tried to take up running, but I found myself comparing everything to my teenage years.  Quite frankly, my 30 something body was not living up to my 17 year old recollections.

It became a pattern of run for a while, get disgusted and quit, and then try again later.  In 2003, I tried a different tactic by venturing off into the world of triathlons.  Because I had zero experience in this area, I could not compare it to my youth.  It was virgin territory!  Every race I entered and finished was something new.

In November of 2004, I got up in the wave of enthusiasm known as the Baton Rouge Triathlon Club and entered the Ironman Florida Triathlon.  For those who don’t know, this was a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a full 26.2 mile marathon….all in less than 17 hours.  I decided the only way I would do this is if I could raise money for a charity at the same time.

And that got me started with fundraising and races.  Since that time, I have completed 2 Half-Ironman races, 2 Full Ironman races, 2 marathons, a 50K (31 mile run), a 50 mile run, Rouge Roubaix (100 mile brutal bike race), and many, many shorter triathlons.  And most of them I did while raising money.

But now we have come full circle to my childhood.  In 1981, a few days after my 15th birthday, I ran the Baton Rouge Marathon in 3 hours and 26 minutes.  At the St. Jude Marathon in December, I plan on attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon which requires a time of 3 hours and 20 minutes or better.  To meet my goal of this year will mean to confront my teenage self and kick its butt.  At 43 years old, that is a daunting task.

So that is me, and this is I: husband, father, son, fundraiser, dreamer, ironman, ultramarathoner, and butt kicker of 28 year old demons.

Uh-oh!  Registration for the St. Jude Marathon is officially open.  Now I have to get this website up and running.