First let me answer why I got the tattoo. Part of me has
always wanted to get a tattoo, but I never wanted to be tattooed with something
that meant absolutely nothing to me. I discovered a lot of unique M-dot tattoos
during my first triathlon in Philly, and I had to learn what these are all
about. Once I learned the M-dot is the Ironman symbol I became intrigued and
wanted to become a part of this race. Most of these tattoos are on people’s
calves, and every time I see one, I immediately felt tons of respect for the
person while I work to keep up with them. I decided early on that if I ever
completed an ironman, I would get some sort of Ironman/M-dot tattoo because I
just simply thought it was cool.
In 2011, I raced my first Ironman and that ended in turmoil
in a crash with the guardrail near the end of the first bike loop. “You don’t
need to get a tattoo now; you’ll have a nice looking scar!” Ever since that
accident it was no longer a question of if or where would I get the tattoo. I
would get the tattoo WHEN I finish my first Ironman and I’m having it put
underneath that gnarly scar on my shoulder.
I went through a bunch of different designs trying to
incorporate many different emotions and moment of significance from the race
for me. The crash with the guardrail will always be with me as the scar on my
left shoulder. That scar will remind me forever that I’m lucky that accident
was not worse and no matter what happens I would “tri, tri, again”. With this
in mind I don’t need the guardrail in my design. I saw the silhouette of NYC in
someone’s tattoo and I thought this was a great idea. Such a large part of my
life is Philadelphia. I was born in the suburbs, grew up a huge Philly sports
fan, graduated from LaSalle University in Philadelphia, and for the most part
have lived in Philly since graduating, taking everything in.
The Philly skyline still didn’t seem like enough. I needed
the silhouette of Rocky with his arms raised at the top of the art museum. Why
you may ask. Why Not! Rocky is an inspirational story of a small time boxer who
is given a shot to rumble with the Champ for a shot at the title. Rocky trains
his hardest, realizes his limits (knowing he’s not as good as Apollo, the
Champ), and still pulls off the unimaginable stunt of going the distance in
Rounds with Apollo, which no one has ever done before. Watching any of the
Rocky training montages and listening to the music will motivate anyone to push
their limits. Rocky represents Ironman’s motto that “Anything is Possible”, he
represents the competitive attitude of Philadelphia sports, and he never gives
up. In the latest movie Rocky says, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s
about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” The Ironman event is
much about how you can handle all of the stresses that are being put on your
body in one day and still find a way to keep moving forward until you get
across that finish line. And most importantly Rocky holding his hands in the
air reminds me a lot of the energy at the finish line. Everything you have left
gets poured out emotionally and physically in those last steps with your hands
in the air, fans cheering you on. No one can take that from an Ironman
finisher. I’m lucky to have been able to capture all of this with my tattoo. 
