Stars of the Hollywood Half Marathon

Greetings!

This past weekend I conducted my first interview with a very inspiring young man. As I was reading through the responses many of you runners posted, I was blown away. There were so many excellent posts of various accomplishments and hopeful goals that truly are remarkable.

So, without further ado

Meet Tyler Lucas…

Tyler Lucas is a 27 year old beach volleyball coach from Southern California. Tyler has also played beach volleyball professionally. Is anyone up for a volleyball match on the beaches of Southern Cali? Count me in! You may also know Tyler Lucas as Team Lucas. Tyler’s response to what his greatest accomplishment is was: Pushing my brother with cerebral palsy in his wheelchair, in run/walks we enter. Aw, how sweet right? I mean, who wouldn’t be moved by such a response? Their team motto is “Live Above Adversity.” And that is exactly what they do.

As I interviewed Tyler Lucas over the phone this past weekend I could really feel his passion for running and his dedication and overflowing love for his younger brother Tysen. Tysen has a severe medical condition of Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Scoliosis that has disabled him from participating in sports.

Tysen, whom Tyler pushes in his wheelchair in all their runs, enjoys the ride and bonding with his older brother. He’s no longer on the sidelines as a spectator. He has now become a participant! As a result of this brother-team the name Team Lucas was formed. When I asked Tyler what inspired him to start pushing Tysen in his wheelchair while he runs, Tyler said, “I have a great time. We can bond together and he likes going fast in the races. It drives me to do the running events because he loves it. He has his hands in the air at the finish lines and people are clapping. He wants to play sports but he can’t do it. It’s something we can do together. It drives me. At the end of the races he walks across the finish line with assistance.”

Team Lucas has competed in 9 races together all throughout Southern California. In just 32 days the brother-team will be on the running track again. This time they will be competing at the Inaugural Hollywood Half Marathon running together through the streets of Hollywood, California. Team Lucas estimated their finish time for the Hollywood Half to be 2 hours and 30 minutes. Team Lucas has never ran a half marathon before. The Hollywood Half will be their first marathon together, but not their last. Team Lucas ran their first 5k together back in 2007 in Redondo Beach, CA.

Everyone wants to know what a great runner eats for breakfast right? Tyler’s daily breakfast changes every day. Tyler Usually has2 eggs with spinach and tomatoes. He also has oatmeal and toast. And he washed it all down with water and muscle milk. We laughed together as I expressed that my daily breakfast sounds nothing like that because I usually take whatever I can find and it’s not always the healthier choices like Tyler. But hey, that’s why I am doing the interviews and not competing in marathons!

Tyler’s favorite place to go on a leisurely run twice a week is at Hermosa Pier and Manhattan Pier located in Southern California. I asked Tyler if he had any running buddies that join him on these leisurely runs. Tyler’s comment was, “Sometimes my friends go. Running is boring for a lot of people so I usually go by myself.”

Training is high on Tyler’s priority list and from what he explained to me about his training habits, he is not playing around. The dude is serious! When training for races, Tyler goes to the gym every day. That workout consists of the following: spending 1 hr and 30 minutes at the gym doing interval training. He will use each machine for 5 minutes. 30 sec fast 10 sec slow. Tyler works out on the stair climber, rowing machine, elliptical machine, bike, and the treadmill. That’s an intense workout if you ask me.

I asked Tyler what some of his challenges have been in pushing his brother throughout the various races they have done together. Tyler said, “We haven’t faced any challenges so far.” In the Manhattan race they were the first to ever compete in a wheelchair. Tyler went on to say, “The hills were challenging and pretty big. They go straight up and they go straight down.” I remember telling Tyler how amazing I think he is for what he is doing with his brother. I also expressed to him how inspiring he is as an individual and as a team with his brother and that more people should be doing what Team Lucas is doing.

What was the most memorable or inspiring moment Tyler has had while pushing his brother in various races? Tyler’s response: “The medal. We beat a lot of people in the Manhattan race. 1hr 5min was my best time in the 2011 Manhattan race. We are raising money for Angels Smiles. Disabled people need special dentists. We got turned away from all the dentists and Diana Zschaschel, DDS specializes in that. A lot of people with disabilities can’t get dental care. She worked on my brother’s teeth and he is better now.” So not only is Team Lucas running for the benefits of brotherly bond and better physical condition, they are also running to raise money to help others. Is that not inspirational?

My final question for Tyler was: What advice would you give to someone who has never competed in a competitive race before? Tyler said, “You can do anything if you put your mind to it. You have to train a lot and get into good physical condition. If you put your mind to it you can definitely do whatever you want. You see something, go after it. Put 100% of your heart into it and its going to turn out good.”

I am so excited to meet Team Lucas at the Hollywood Half Marathon next month. Tyler is a very inspiring individual and I really enjoyed talking with him. I know that as he continues to strive at working towards bettering other peoples’ lives, he will in turn be blessed in all he does. Good work Team Lucas!

For more information on Team Lucas visit the following websites:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/TeamLucasLiveAboveAdversity

http://www.twitter.com/teamlucas1

Also, check out this video clip of Tyler and Tysen: