Making the Team: 2008

My name is Art Miles. I’ve been a triathlete for two years and an endurance athlete all my life. It’s prepared me for the challenges that life throws at all of us and instilled a competitive nature that drives my daily life. No matter how difficult things get, no matter how impossible or unreachable a goal may seem… I NEVER QUIT!

My very first triathlon was nearly over before it started. While wading into the water before the start I stepped on something that imbedded itself in my foot. Before I could even try to figure out what it was the gun went off. I didn’t care how, limping or crawling, I was going to finish. After I crossed the finish line it took the EMT’s 20 minutes to pull a two inch sliver of metal from my foot. They couldn’t believe I had finished the race. I never quit.

In my next triathlon we battled 2 foot swells that knocked nearly 40 people from the race. I fought through it emerging from the water already a feeling like a winner. I never quit.

In my first 70.3 I suffered extreme back spasms and gut wrenching cramps on the run. The finishing time I was shooting for was destroyed. I walked most of the run course but I did it with a smile as I thanked those who came to cheer for us. I never quit.

Progressing to another challenge I signed up for the Las Vegas Marathon. Even before the 10 mile mark I was hitting an abdominal wall of my own. The cramps forced me to back off the pace my friend and I had trained for months to keep. I ran for hours alone, stopping at more port-a-johns than I care to remember. And when I finally crossed that finish line I smiled and reminded myself: I never quit.

While competing in a winter trail series, the temperature dropped to negative 5 degrees and the wind chill was negative 30. The number of runners dwindled compared to the previous series race. With a foot of snow on the trails and icicles forming on my eyelashes, each step was a challenge. It was the most difficult trail race of my life. I never quit.

My company sent five teams to the US Challenge in 2007. I haven’t competed on a team since high school. I was reluctant but agreed to substitute for an injured co-worker. We rallied to support each other through three days of extreme competition. Braving torrential rains, heavy winds and mud-clogged trails brought us closer together. Not one person quit. I had never been more proud to be part of a team.

I plan to carry that energy and spirit with me while training for and competing in Ironman Wisconsin this year. Sore joints, muscles spasms, gut wrenching cramps or Mother Nature herself won’t be able to make me quit!

Thanks for reading! If you think I should be the next fully-sponsored member of Team Evotri, please write down the URL of this web site and have it ready for voting when you click the EVOTE button below. Thank you!