Rhode Island’s Ironman Gordon Dash
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Ironman triathlon is considered to be one of the most grueling and physically taxing athletic events in the world. It requires both skill and incredible endurance in all three of its components- swimming, biking, and running. Athletes put in months and months of training to physically prepare for this event and are constantly pushing their bodies to the limit. To compete in the Ironman, you must possess tremendous physical strength, but even more importantly, you must possess mental strength.
Gordon Dash, a Rhode Island native who grew up on the South Side of Providence has both. The 32-year-old engineer who now lives in Houston, TX returned to his hometown this weekend to compete in Sunday’s Providence Amica Half-Ironman and in the process, raise money for the South Side Boys & Girls Club, where he spent much of his childhood. He finished the 70.3-mile course in 5 hours 21 minutes, successfully accomplishing his goal of beating his last year time of 5:42:39.
Between the 6am swim start in Lincoln and the hours later finish in front of the State House, Dash kept calm and focused as he covered the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1-mile run through downtown Providence, the Brown Campus, Blackstone Boulevard, and the East Side. Dash advanced in his placing as the day progressed, gaining almost 250 spots in the bike portion of the race, which he considers to be one of his strengths and greatest area of improvement throughout the past year. His journey to the finish line yesterday is an incredibly impressive feat, but just as meaningful is his journey to the starting line.
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Dash was born and raised in Providence and lived on the South Side with his two older brothers and younger sister until he went away to college. He received a Bachelor’s degree in engineering at North Carolina A&T University, and went on for a Masters at NC State, also in engineering. Dash has a close personal connection to the South Side Boys & Girls Club, having spent a lot of time there while growing up. Much of his love for athletics and well as success in life can be attributed to SSGBC.
The Boys and Girls club was a safe haven for him and his siblings, where his mom could drop them off after school and they could stay away from the streets. He describes the club as basically a “free camp”, where you could play and hang out, focus on homework, and learn survival skills as well. “It was the starting foundation block of my athletic career; we were always playing basketball there or swimming,” says Dash. “It always kept me active.”
Remember the South Side, giving back
Now a lead design engineer for a renewable energy/wind company, Gordon Dash returns 20 years later to his roots with SSBGC and uses the Ironman as an example of hard work and dedication to inspire the kids as well as his own family. He uses his own experience that you can do whatever you want if you put your mind to it. His word of advice to the kids who currently are part of SSBGC is to “stay focused and positive, and don’t let any negative influences in your life get in your way."
From Classical High track to the Ironman
Based on today’s impressive performance, you would think that he is a veteran triathlete, but Gordon Dash is surprisingly new to the sport, having only completed his first triathlon exactly year ago at the very same Providence Amica Ironman 2010. A natural runner (and not just because of that great last name), Dash began his running career at Classical High School. He excelled in all three seasons: cross country, indoor, and outdoor track. Post-high school, Dash kept the sport in his life by competing in marathons. Always interested in keeping busy and having an active lifestyle, he came home one summer and heard about the Ironman and decided that he was going to do it. Not an experienced biker or swimmer, Dash began coaching himself in all 3 sports, a big leap from just running, and crossed the finish line a year later. A few months after that, he completed his first full Ironman in Arizona.
Returning to do the Amica Ironman for the second time was especially meaningful to him because of his family and his connection to the area. His whole family gets together to cheer him on and uses it as a way of coming together for something good. Inspiring other people is so important to him and has helped him pull through injuries and tough parts of the race. “I originally wanted to pull out of the race because I was not nearly in my top shape," he says, "but I really wanted to provide inspiration to my family and friends. If you put your mind to something, your body will follow. I am extremely satisfied for completing this great event.”
Looking to the future, Dash is going to recover from this race and then resume training compete in the Miami Ironman, which is on October 30. His long-term goal is to ultimately make it to the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, which is the dream of almost every long-distance triathlete. From his start as a kid playing hoops at the Boys & Girls Club, to crossing the finish line at the Providence State Capital, clearly this is someone who makes his dreams come true.
