Greg Hadubiak is back for some more pain.  In 2011 he completed his second Ironman Canada triathlon at the age of 47.  He tried his return in 2020 only to be thwarted by COVID-19.  But he is undaunted and is back for 2021 and Ironman #3.  

2020 was going to be different and 2021 will be different if life cooperates this year.  Greg is racing for a cause.  He’s trying to bring hope to those impacted or suffering from a malicious and (currently) incurable childhood cancer - DIPG - Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.  He’s trying to raise awareness about this disease and it's impact.  He’s trying to raise funds through my efforts for much needed support for children and families impacted by this disease. 

We've all been impacted by cancer in one way or another.  Greg’s race this year is inspired by a boy who would have celebrated his 15th birthday this February but for DIPG.  Greg and others watched a family struggle with the diagnosis and the inevitable passing of their son due to DIPG.  While Greg and Ronan Smyth never met, the journey and story was well-documented by their mother – and continues to be so – through Facebook.  Ronan’s family and friends ensured that his last months were filled with every possible opportunity to live life while it was his to live.  

Ronan brought an incredible level of strength and maturity to his last months that all of us could only hope to emulate.  Through this Ironman effort Greg wants to continue to honor his legacy, his bravery and help other children and families in coping with the trials of cancer. There is so much to say about Ronan that can't be said in any one.  However, you can start to glean a lot about him and his experience by simply searching his name as a starting point on the Internet. 

Greg began this effort on February 12, 2020, on what would have been Ronan's 14th birthday. His mother asked that people remember him and perhaps dedicate some aspect of their day to his memory. In the throes of getting ready for the 2020 Ironman experience Greg decided to dedicate that day's workout in respect of the request. But the ask got him thinking about what else might be possible. He started thinking and digging and arrived at a concept of not just dedicating one day or a few hours of effort to this cause but instead considering what it might look like to dedicate all of his Ironman training and competition to Ronan's memory and to making a more sizeable impact for DIPG awareness and support.

So here we go again. 2020 is to be forgotten and 2021 is to be hoped for. For those who know Greg well you already have a sense that in the past few years he has been driven by the philosophy of "What if?" and "Why not?" So let's dream big. He’s made the commitment dating back to last year to moving the needle forward on DIPG awareness and support. So he’s back to dedicating his Ironman effort to that end. And this commitment is not just one of blood, sweat and tears. He wants to raise substantial funds for the cause. Greg has partnered with the Kids with Cancer Society to raise $100,000 this year. And Greg is committed with more than blood, sweat and tears in service of this cause – he is putting is money where is mouth is. He is committed to contributing 5% of monthly billings from Feburary through to the end of September to this cause.