So to find out more, M&F spoke to four inspiring athletes to find out what motivated these people to compete, and what they’ve learned from pushing themselves far beyond their comfort zone. Often the journey to a competition is just as inspiring as the final performance itself.
Rafael Rivera
- End time: 5:50:12
- Biggest IRONMAN 70.3 fear: Distance
Rafael Rivera, 42, who was born in Mexico before moving to the US, weighed 300 pounds and struggled with alcoholism before turning his life around with triathlon. What motivated Rivera most was the desire to become a husband and father that his family could be proud of. After banishing booze, the changemaker has since lost 150 pounds and completed multiple IRONMAN and other endurance events. After qualifying for the IRONMAN 70.3 championship, he completed the race under the six-hour average, but Rivera’s efforts were always more focused on overcoming fears than world records.
When she started triathlon, Rivera’s biggest fear was the distance of the race itself. “The sheer magnitude – 3.9 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling and 42.2 kilometers of running consecutively – felt not only difficult, but also impossible,” he tells M&F. “It was a fear of failure that bordered on the fear of realizing how far I still had to go. But ultimately, that terrifying impossibility is exactly what fueled my desire to prove that my transformation was real and irreversible.”
Rivera says his participation in the championships helped replace fear with euphoria, a milestone achieved through years of training. “Fear has been completely replaced by uncontrolled excitement,” he says proudly. For Rivera, crossing the sacred finish line is a victory over his past life, “proving that profound, life-changing changes are possible.”
To follow Rafael Rivera’s progress on Instagram, click here.
Ryan Briscoe
- End time: 4:56:05
- Biggest IRONMAN 70.3 fear: The busy start of swimming
Ryan Briscoe of Sydney, Australia, was a professional racing driver, competing in Europe and America and achieving significant success as an IndyCar driver. He won nerve-wracking races like the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2020, but advances in triathlon have fueled his adrenaline as much as living in a fast-moving car.
During his first triathlon more than 20 years ago, Briscoe remembers being a little concerned about the water. “I think my biggest fear was how I would deal with the commotion of swimming with a mass start,” he says M&F. To counter a sometimes chaotic start during swimming endurance events, Briscoe decided to navigate future races with a better plan. “Plus, IRONMAN does so well with the rolling starts, so there’s really no stress at all,” he reassures those interested in dipping their own toe in the water.
Another educated tip from Briscoe for proper preparation concerns food and fluid intake. “Nutrition remains so crucial and difficult because of the sheer amount of time you are there,” he explains, but while the multi-sport athlete is keen to push himself, he shares that an endurance life doesn’t have to get in the way of a normal family life. “Balancing training and family time is most important to me,” says Briscoe. “This is a hobby for me, and I can’t sacrifice missing important moments with my family. So it’s all about good planning and often training at odd hours of the day! We make it work!”
To follow Ryan Briscoe’s progress on Instagram: click here.
Corey Hawes
- End time: 5:57:31
- Biggest IRONMAN 70.3 fear: Exhaustion
Corey Hawes of Lexington, Kentucky had competed in several endurance disciplines before the IRONMAN 70.2. His story is one of defying the odds. At the age of 17, Hawes survived a serious car accident that left him nearly paralyzed. After a six-month period in a back brace, he decided to build back stronger, exceed medical expectations and ultimately correct his spinal problems in large part thanks to his formidable training. Hawes has now competed in dozens of races, but remembers the fear of cardio and muscular failure.
“Could I do it?” he wondered at the beginning of his IRONMAN journey. “I’d done a few local sprint triathlons, and some longer ultramarathon runs, but never anything this long and with different muscular and metabolic demands,” he said. M&F. His advice to those on the fence about throwing their own hat into the ring? “Do it!” he enthusiastically. “It’s amazing! Be prepared and recognize that it’s a way of life. Once you start, there’s no going back.”
With the 2026 Championships recently completed, Hawes is already setting his next goals. “I know I have smaller goals to improve every day with functional threshold strength, power, and split goals. As for the big goal, the next few weeks of the offseason I’ll spend my time dreaming of the next best thing!”
To follow Corey Hawes’ progress on Instagram: click here.
Gregory Schaefer
- End time: 5:57:31
- Biggest IRONMAN 70.3 fear: Time calls for training
The story of Gregory Schaefer is yet another triumph of the human spirit, competing in the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 Championships with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. “Consistency and sustainability are not just training principles, they are life principles,” he tells M&F. “Over the years, triathlon has become less about preparing for a single race and more about building a body and mind capable of enduring whatever life throws at me.” He is certainly onto something, as studies (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35113386/) show that endurance training has a positive effect on Parkinson’s disease by delaying the signs of the condition.
“In many ways, sports prepared me long before Parkinson’s came into the picture,” Schaefer says. “That diagnosis changed everything, but strangely enough it also gave insight into the years I had spent building resilience, routine and strength. Exercise is the best medicine for Parkinson’s disease, and I really can’t think of a better prescription than triathlon. I feel like I’ve been subconsciously training all the time for the long race.”
It’s not just the racing that Schaefer enjoys. There’s also a whole community you can be a part of. “Expect setbacks, because they will come, but also prepare to join one of the most supportive, welcoming communities you will ever encounter,” he tells M&F. “Triathlon includes everyone: every pace, every shape, every background. There’s nothing I love more than helping a first-timer because even after achieving eighteen IRONMAN finishes, I still learn something every race.” Schaefer’s biggest fear had been that training would take over his world, but he found out. “The balance did not happen overnight,” he explains. “It came from embracing the sport, not as a season, but as a way of life.”
To follow Gregory Schaefer’s progress on Instagram: click here.
If you want to join a dedicated community and feel the same mental and physical excitement as these inspiring athletes, it’s not too late to dream big and work towards the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. Find a qualifying event click here.
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