Why I chose hard things

A letter about becoming. About choosing depth over comfort, resilience over ease, and the kind of man I hope my son grows up watching.

Dear Leo,

I haven’t told many people this yet, but my next challenge has been confirmed.
In just 19 weeks, I’ll be standing on a start line in Hawaii, attempting the Kona 70.3 Ironman.

When I came back from the desert last year, I arrived home feeling more like myself than I had in a long time. That might sound strange, given what the Marathon des Sables put me through. Six back-to-back marathons. The heat. The sand. The exhaustion. The moments I wasn’t sure I could go on.

But these challenges I’m drawn to… they’re not about medals, or finish lines, or T-shirts. They’re about what happens before the start. How they shape my days. How they structure my mind. How they quietly improve the way I live.