Openly-gay Dartmouth athlete Philip Claudy is running the September 25 Ironman Triathlon in Chattanooga, Tennessee to help raise money for OneOrlando, the fund assisting the victims and survivors of the June 12 Orlando shooting.
“The Orlando shooting served as an important reminder for me to continue living fully as who I am – to keep embracing myself and pushing for progress,”Claudy said on his crowdfunding page. “It made urgent the need for support. It motivated me to take action,”
In his November 2015 column for the LGBT site Outsports.com, Claudy wrote, “I grew up believing that my sexuality was an illness, a sickness that put me at risk of a lonely and immoral life.” He added, “[My sexuality was] something that I buried deep within myself, something that I was determined I would not let ruin my happy life, my athletic aspirations, or my professional ambitions.”
Though he originally attended Dartmouth as a member of the rowing team, he soon fell into a depression (partly from denying his sexuality) and took up running as a way to battle his hopelessness. Studies have shown that 30 minutes of moderate running twice a week can significantly reduce depression and its symptoms.
Claudy wrote:
In the winter, I picked up running as a hobby and immediately fell in love, not only for the physical benefits, but for the mental benefits as well. Running provided an outlet that allowed me to overcome my depression and to remedy my dissatisfaction with my sexuality. As my love for running grew, so did my love for myself. I became happier with who I really was, who I had hidden for so many years.
Last year, he ran the Philadelphia marathon to raise funds for the Trevor Project, the LGBT suicide hotline.
You can donate to Claudy if you want to help his cause. You should also know that the Chattanooga Ironman Triathlon involves a 2.4-mile swim in the Tennessee River, a 116 mile bike course through farmlands and a 26.2-mile run through downtown Chattanooga, Riverview and the North Shore.
While you consider the athleticism and endurance required for that, let’s enjoy some pics of Claudy…
