You can watch it on NBC Saturday November 15th at 1:30PM
The Story From Daughter Sarah Borge-
My father has never been an average man. Whether it was building a snow fort for myself and my younger brother or building a masterpiece staircase, Joe Borge puts his heart and soul into every task put in front of him. Of course, training for a championship competition is no different.
Since I was young, my parents have competed in countless road races together; watching them train, and training with them was like being let into some sort of secret meeting. This was THEIR time. This was an opportunity for husband and wife to bond and shut out the constant intrusions from the deluge of every day life. The banter and jests they shared always kept the training light and enjoyable but their competitive natures always fed the intensity of the activity. Those who know my mother, know she is a formidable opponent on a race course and her talents are only strengthened by my father’s own athletic prowess. However, when you’ve spent over twenty years running marathons, you search for new ways of feeding your competitive spirit. For my father, it was triathlons; although, these competitions were not entirely new to him. You see, since he was a teenager, my father had a dream to compete in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. We as a family would sit down every November and watch the competition when it aired on television. I remember the look in my father’s eyes, the same look he had at the start of every race or the start of a new project: determination. There’s really nothing quite like it, seeing true determination in a person. What’s even more impressive is being able to witness the outcome. For years he has talked about racing at Kona and when he finished his first full Ironman in Florida, it looked like his dream was as close as it had ever been.
It was in April of this year when my phone rang with my mother on the other line telling, well screeching really, that my father had been picked to race in Kona, Hawaii. We as a family could not have been more excited and scared for him. The amount of training he needed to complete for this race was like no other training he had ever done and since our last name isn’t Vanderbilt, his 50+ hour/week work schedule wouldn’t be able to take a back seat in any way. But, because of the man he’s always been, he managed to balance his work and training quite well and when he was done with his 100 mile bike rides and 20 mile runs, he was always easily convinced to hit Mile Marker for a lobster roll and wine.
Those of you who know my father know he is an amazing individual and it was wonderful seeing the support he received while training; it is a true testament to his person. Dad, you’re the hardest working man I know and you bring everything you’ve got to the table (which you probably made yourself). I can’t ever tell you enough how proud you make me and how much I’ve loved being your daughter and your friend. You’ve been an Ironman long before this race; the rest of the city just knows it now.
Good Morning Gloucester 