My Right, My Priviledge, My Ironman Tattoo

Why? This is the first question I get from people when they learn about my tattoo. I’m not sure if they’re asking “Why did you get a tattoo?” or “Why did you design it like you did?”

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.