Cornell Men's Soccer Alumnus Kuritzky Finishes Ironman-Length Triathlon For Charity

Courtesy of Cornell Athletic Communications

ITHACA, N.Y. -- What began as a friendly discussion among office workers turned into an ultimate challenge for Cornell men's soccer alumnus Brian Kuritzky. Kuritzky completed the Great Floridian triathlon on Saturday, garnering headlines in the Wall Street Journal and raising nearly $75,000 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization in the process.

Kuritzky, who played three seasons for the Big Red from 2005 through 2007 and earned all-region honors as a senior before graduting in May 2008, made a wager with co-workers at Goldman Sachs that he could finish an Ironman-length triathlon without any training in an effort to prove his claim that soccer players are the best all-around athletes. Within three weeks, he'd been entered in the Great Floridian triathlon, a race covering a 2.4 mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, followed by running a full marathon of 26.2 miles.

The wager was simple: Kuritzky challenged his fellow co-workers that he could finish the race without any training in under 16 hours. For every minute over 16 hours he finished, he would pay those wagering against him $1; for every minute under 16 hours, they were responsible for donating $1 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

Kuritzky's reason for choosing Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a personal one; he lost his mother to breast cancer nine years ago. From the Wall Street Journal article:
"I regret not cherishing the time I had with my mother," he says. "While I can't change what happened and I can't have those years back, maybe I can help find that one mother, sister, daughter, or friend beat cancer."

In the end, Kuritzky finished the race in 15 hours, 30 minutes, winning his wager and raising a great deal of money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. To date, he has raised nearly $75,000 for the organization, with pledges and donations still coming in from those who heard about the event late.

For those interested in making a donation on behalf of Brian's accomplishment may do so at his fundraising page, located here. The stated goal and current donations listed on the Komen site are below the actual current amount raised due to corporate matching programs.

To read more about Brian's experience with the Great Floridian triathlon, visit his blog at http://briankuritzky.wordpress.com/.