It happened!!! I feel like a proud Blogger Daddy!!!
About three years ago, I wrote an article for Triathlete Magazine entitled, I Have The Wrong Tattoo. From this article several things happened, people went nuts over the topic, a guy named Charlie Yu managed to make everyone mad and the international triathlon community tdottriathlon was born.
T-Dot is my baby. The idea is simple, if you have ever crossed the finish line you are a member of the T-Dot community, no matter what the distance or speed. There is no international symbol for triathlon, so I took it upon myself to create one, a T with three "dots" over the T to symbolize the three disciplines of the sport.
Earlier this year, T-Dot was hacked and three years of hard work was lost. We have been slowly building it back up. It's been slow, hard and depressing to watch something you love die slowly. Today, a friend sent me a link to the following story and image and it brought tears to my eyes. Garen, aka The Bald Hungarian Triathlete decided to get the worlds first T-Dot tattoo in his arm to commemorate his Ironman finish.
To have someone burn your idea into their skin, is an honor. It reminded me why I started this in the first place, to celebrate that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. I am re-energized by his gesture. Thank you Garen.
Here is his story.
After finishing the IM in 2007 I knew I wanted to get a tattoo. I have wanted one since the early 90's but never could think of something I liked. I read the article about the T-Dot in Triathlete magazine and thought it was a cool idea. I struggled between this design, something incorporating the Chessyman logo, and the traditional M-Dot. After adding the SBR and the 140.6 I thought it was original enough to put on my arm forever. It is also cool in that nobody knows what it is except other triathletes. When people do ask about it they inevitably say, "The Ironman is how long???" It turned out better than I expected in both the experience and how it looks. The artist could not have been any cooler. We shared a ton of stories over the 2.5 hours. This flash from the camera kind of messes with the dark black ink.
If I finish my next IM in the daylight, which is my goal, I am going to get another one on my right arm. I am leaning toward a small M-Dot in the middle of a sun. Colors need to be decided upon as well as the style of the sun.
To read I Have The Wrong Tattoo, Click here
Filed under: Dave's Journey, Events, News, Triathlon
Tags: Charlie Yu, david wallach, I have the Wrong Tattoo, Tdottriathlon, Triathlete Magazine
That is freaking awesome! You should feel not just proud, but incredibly cool.