With the Escape to Miami Triathlon this past weekend, fresh in our minds, I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to Andres Felipe Cadavid. Felipe just completed his 3rd Olympic distance Triathlon on Sunday September 29th 2013 in 2 hours and 48 minutes which was 5 minutes faster than last year's Tri  and 9 minutes faster than his first Escape in 2011. That in itself is a very commendable achievement but it's not what's most admirable about this guy. 

About a year ago, I was checking in runners at the SoBe Run Club, when I happened to meet Felipe. It wouldn't be until a couple months later, that I would strike up a real conversation (not the customary-person A: ' how's it going' Person B: "good, You?" Person A: "me too.") where I would find out about his inspiring journey to the athlete he is today.

Just 4 years ago,  Felipe was not worrying about getting his bike tuned up for this weekend's ESCAPE festivities nor was he debating whether or not to race the New Balance Mile (hosted by IRUN) the day after having just completed in an Olympic distance triathlon.  He instead was sitting in his apartment overlooking Margret Pace Park wondering if it was even humanly possible (at least for him) to swim from that island (ESCAPE ISLAND) he could see off shore to the mainland, knowing that even the thought of walking from the apartment lobby to the water's edge would get him winded, so running to the waterfront wasn't even an option.

Weighing in at about 267lbs, never having been very athletic, and heavy set his whole life (which was about the only thing that RAN in his family--pun intended), doing something like the ESCAPE TO MIAMI TRI wasn't even in contention for a slot on his weekend's agenda.

It would be until he witnessed how his uncle's obesity led to a deterioration of his quality of life, dependency on family members around, loss of eye sight, diabetes, and eventual passing due to a heart attack at the age of 60 that reality would settle in:  if he didn't take charge of his life and turn his health around, his destiny could mimic that of his uncle's.

Not really knowing what to do, he got into what he thought was "athletic attire" and headed out on a run he still remembers to this day as vividly as if it was yesterday. He recalls feeling like he was dying; pains everywhere, inability to breath, taste of blood in throat, heart pumping harder than it ever had. He ran until he could not take a single step more only to find that he had barely completed 2 miles.

That was the beginning of this extraordinary journey that he plans to stay on until death do them part- the journey of a healthier lifestyle to a stronger HEART.  It was a daunting task that lay ahead since he needed to work on slowly changing his habits from how much he ate, what he ate, how he ran, what he ran, to  even how much he partied. But the more he started going out on runs and talking about his "new plan" with friends, the more he started realizing just how many people around him already part took in such activities.  He wishes that in that first year he would have known about RUN CLUBS so that the process would have been a little more fun--but nevertheless, he needed what went through; a coming of age kind of situation. Soon he found himself wanting to train on his own to be able to feel better and not feel so out of shape when running with friends. In essence, training to keep up with friends.

Over the progression of a year, runs went from being masoquistic to being somewhat enjoyable. But the runs weren't the only things that were getting easier to complete. Everyday tasks like getting out of  bed and getting in/out of his car, were now not-so-surprisingly easier to do. The little changes he was making- increased physcial activity and running--were not only drawing the attention his friends and family, but were quickly helping the numbers on the scale drop.

Slowly he started going from looking for inspiration to get out and workout to being the inspiration for those around him to be more active. Which would positively pressure him to continue pressing on. From the beginning his goal was to strengthen his heart; change himself from the inside out. A lesson we could all use here in Miami where often times the physical (exterior) appearance is valued more than the inner. Felipe encourages his friends, family, and followers that picking the RIGHT GOAL is key. He says: "If you choose to lose weight, you may do so. But as soon as it stops being your focus, you may gain it back. If you choose to make your heart stronger and live a healthier life, it will be easier to stay focused because YOUR LIFE depends on it, and there will be many much welcomed byproducts (weight loss, increased self confidence, decreased health issues...and the list goes on) that will also be harvested along the way."

As I asked him what his next goal is, he chuckled and said "a Half Ironman". I bet that wasn't on his bucket-list 4 years ago and now look at him!

Felipe is just one of the many runners here in Miami that make up the "WE" in "We Run Miami". We have so much to gain as runners and people from characters like Felipe, who have stopped making excuses, have taken their HEALTH into their own hands--choosing the harder, yet more rewarding, path to a better future, and are reaping the amazing benefits that this sport has to offer. Instead of letting the opportunity run by you, get a chance to know more about the people that run around you! You never know what they may contribute to your life and what you unknowingly may contribute to theirs as well!

                                                                                                                                               Happy Running and Transforming!

If you have ever been running, biking, or driving, along Biscayne on a Saturday, you probably have seen a heard of neon yellow and blue jerseys lead by a couple crazy guys, Cobi Morales and Hector Arana--Co-Founders of IRUN Company located on 5050 Biscayne Blvd.

You may have seen Cobi running up with the leaders of the FAST GROUP on the Monday Workouts, Saturday runs, BIKE/RUN workouts and any other times he's working out. Seeing him constantly pushing his limits and not only talking the talk but walking the walk (or shall we say running the RUN), you may have developed extreme humility in his presence and deep respect for his abilities. The thought of keeping up with him may be as far fetched as attempting to do an IRONMAN (unless he was running double the distance you were and going at a recovery run pace--then MAYBE you'd entertain the idea.)

What you may not know about Cobi is that this level of fitness, training, dedication to the sport didn't happen over night, nor over the last couple years. His talent has been nurtured and develop through intense training in a lifetime of running that began around 20 years ago. At the age of 14 he began to run competitively. 

When we turn 18, we are excited that we are finally ADULTS, going to PROM, graduating. Cobi, on the other hand, was excited to be on Guatemala's National Triathlon Team. His athletic career has led him to race in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and in the Americas. He has attained numerous titles in races ranging from 5k to Ironmans with accolades as noteworthy as competing in the Cancun Olympic World championships (1995) as a teenager to being  Top Amateur Latin American to finish in (1997 and 2000) in Triathlon Worlds  and placing in the top 10 at the Long Course Triathlon World Championships in Nice, France in 2000.

But if you go by his store, or run with him, you may never hear him ever mention this athletic resume. Heck, I trained with him a good majority of the summer doing Bike/Run workouts without even having a clue that he had competed at such a high level.  He is focused on that SPECIFIC RUN, that individual set. He is pushing, all out,  while at the same time looking to correct your form, and encouraging other runners to stay focused.

Fortunately for Cobi, his training discipline is so engrained in him that he never gets off course (or so he says), so he doesn't have to worry about keeping himself on track. Maybe one day that will rub off on the rest of us who do struggle with staying on course.