RaisinHope

When I rolled down to breakfast at the Olympic Training Center's cafeteria in Chula Vista this morning, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with Saul Raisin, a professional cyclist now pursuing triathlon after a traumatic brain injury derailed his cycling career. Once I built up my bike, we headed out for a great 3 hour ride on rolling hills and followed up with a nice, easy 30 minute jog. Throughout the course of the ride, Saul gave me some great pointers on bike handling (not my strength!), as well as recounted some fantastic stories about his pro riding career in Europe and the story of his crash and subsequent recovery (deemed a "miracle" by his doctors).

In addition to training to complete the Hawaii Ironman, Saul is highly active with RaisinHope, his foundation for survivors and supporters of Traumatic Brain Injury, and with the Wounded Warrior Project. Considering Saul's story and taking into account his outgoing, talkative personality and boundless energy, I can't imagine a better advocate for the cause. The most remarkable and telling statement that Saul made was that if he could chose between his life the way it was one month before the accident and the way his life is now, he would pick the present, mainly because of the positive influence that he has made on the lives of others.

Saul is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive people that I have met through triathlon. When in the midst of training, we athletes have the tendency to insulate ourselves from the outside world. Saul and his involvement with victims of brain trauma serves an incredible reminder that when our energy is harnessed, we have the ability to do more than perform athletically at a high level. We also have the potential to have a positive impact on others.