In the world of sports and competition, the Iron Man triathlon is one of the most challenging undertaking available. A 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a standard 26.2 mile marathon makes up the Iron Man competition, and participants need to spend months or sometimes years training for such an undertaking. Todd Hollis decided to participate int he 2005 competition, and the land events didn’t scare him at all.

But not knowing how to swim did scare him.

A Pittsburgh lawyer, Hollis had to sign up for swim classes next to children wearing flippers before he could compete in the most challenging of triathlons. He took classes at the YMCA after work each day. The hardest part was learning to float, Hollis said, weighing 190 pounds and standing 6 feet 2 inches. Until he learned how to swim, however, Hollis wouldn’t let himself start training for the land events.

Although Hollis was behind the learning curve, he was surprised to find that he wasn’t the last swimmer once the race was underway. He finished the race in 16 hours, 17 minutes and 29 seconds, placing 1,873 out of 2,400 starters and 33rd out of 353 starters in his age group.

Hollis is a graduate of Duquesne University who tried his hand at Wall Street before opening his own criminal law practice. Hollis devotes his life to good work, having donated a kidney in 2004 and founding an organization called the Messiah Project, which provides legal services to disadvantaged youth.

Additional Resources

Todd Hollis :: Homepage
Todd Hollis :: Article on Uploads.biz
Todd Hollis :: Listed on DownTownProfile.com
Todd Hollis :: Information on 1HRO.com
Todd Hollis :: Article on CorporationReview
Todd Hollis :: Article on DTProfile.com