Former GU Pitcher competes in the Ironman

I came across this interesting story from Georgetown Media Relations about former Hoya pitcher Tom Braun who took part in the Florida Ironman recently. You can check out the full article below.

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

Washington, D.C. – Former Georgetown baseball player Tom Braun recently competed in the Florida Ironman, a 140.6-mile triathlon held every November in Panama City Beach, Fla. What would possess someone who works in institutional equity sales and trading for a top-tier investment bank to participate in an event that features a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run?

"I wanted prove to myself that I could finish something like this," Braun said. "I had seen the Ironman on television a number of times and was always real impressed with the athletes that could finish such a race. I wanted to push myself through something most others wouldn’t even consider."

Prior to GU, Braun was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the MLB Free Agent Amateur Draft. The right-hander would accomplish many things during his playing career at Georgetown and was named to the All-BIG EAST Third Team in 2005. Playing under Head Coach Pete Wilk helped Braun prepare for competition in the Ironman.

"Playing sports is all about discipline and practice. In order to be successful in anything you have to put in the effort," Braun said. "These are certainly qualities I learned while at Georgetown. There is very little chance to complete this length of a race without putting in the hard work prior to the competition."

Prior to the Ironman competition, Braun had completed a marathon and smaller triathlon in preparation for the event.

"I completed those two events with my sights on the Ironman because it has always been one of my ultimate goals in life," Braun added. "I have always set my goals a bit high and wasn’t really interested in doing many smaller races."

After finishing in the top 25% of his age division and entire field, Braun contemplated whether he would like to compete in the Ironman again and what other events he would like to focus on in the future.

"I wouldn’t rule out doing this again in the future," Braun said. "While completing in one was my ultimate goal, this competition becomes addictive. Putting your body thru 11 hours of competing makes you wonder what else you might be capable of. My ultimate goal would be to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. I’m a few years away from that but it’s something to work for. I’m also considering getting involved in ultra-marathons or anything else that might push me and my body a bit further.

From being a competitor on the baseball diamond to facing the daily grind of the financial markets, Braun passed along some advice to the current Georgetown student-athletes.

"Don’t limit yourself to what you think you might be capable of," Braun said. "You might surprise yourself in the end. I know I did."