CityView Magazine

Editor’s Corner Go big or go home O Want to give? You can help the team reach its $100,000 goal. Make checks payable to Fayetteville Cares Fund with Ironman Team in the memo line. Send to P.O. Box 2345, Fayetteville 28302 or donate online at www.fayettevillecares.org by adding Ironman Team in the comments section. 10|August/September • 2009 n a sticky summer morning wel l before dawn, they slipped out of their Fayetteville homes wi thout waking sleeping husbands, wives and children. The warm clear waters of White Lake waited. But the task ahead would be a mere warm-up for one very long day: an hour-long swim, followed by a 100-mile bike ride and finally, a five-mile run. This is what it takes to train for the Iron Man triathlon, an event so grueling, so competitive, it attracts the most hard-core athletes from around the world. It would be difficult for one person from Fayetteville to qualify – this fall, our city will send 10 to Panama City, Fla. They are young parents and retired soldiers, full-time professionals and students. They are: David Allen, John DeGreef, Christopher Fletcher, Michael Fletcher, Matt Harmer, Nicole Hodges, Sarah Kraxberger, Lora Lewis, Kyle Motley and Seth Traylor. Their goal? To raise $100,000 for Fayetteville Cares, a group that supports soldiers and their families. They have planned this day for months. The group not only committed to this year’s event, all 10 volunteered at last year’s event, just for the chance to compete. Yes, 10 people voluntarily signed up for approximately 17 hours of non-stop swimming, biking and running. Let me be specific: that’s a 2.4 mile swim (in the Gulf of Mexico), a 112-mile bike ride plus a 26.2-mile marathon. “These people are serious,” says Michael Fletcher, pastor of Manna Church and the man who first brought this team together. “And there’s a certain mindset: you say it can’t be done, well, let’s go.” Go big or go home – that’s what I love about this town. So it’s no surprise that when it comes to health and wellness, Fayetteville doesn’t believe in doing things halfway. In this issue, our publisher tells the story of another group of “extreme” athletes who push themselves to the limit every day. Dr. Lenny Salzberg steps out of his usual Your Health spot to tell the story of a colleague who believes so strongly in helping patients live longer and healthier lives, she started her own practice. One of my favorite stories is about three women who bravely explored the frontiers of genetic testing to learn more about the medical mysteries of their own family trees. We’re also excited to celebrate a native son; Dr. Holden Thorp recently marked his first year as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can read that story on Page 22. This issue also includes some great features on Better Health of Cumberland County, Locks Creek restaurant and the Cottages at North Ramsey. As for me, I took a break this summer to cruise the Cape Fear River – here’s a shout out to the Swamp Boys who took photographer Steve Aldridge and me out for a spin and taught us that sometimes fishing and polygraph exams do go together. And that’s no fish tale.CV Allison Williams, Editor

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