The 40-year-old Duhme, as he prepares for his first triathlon in the Olympic distance around the first weekend of November, is way fitter and healthier than when this particular journey began.
And after competing in what he called several "baby tris (triathlons)" swimming, lida cycling and running at shorter distances compared to 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer cycle and 10-kilometer run he's getting excited about competing in one of Australia's most widely used multi-sport events and also over the same distance that elite Olympians do.
Mark Vann, Duhme's personal trainer, predicts his student is going to do well. "He is dedicated, highly-motivated and highly-driven," says Vann.
Duhme stepped up his training last year when he and Karina, originally from Blackmore, England, got the perfect news: after extensive testing, it was determined he was not only an eligible donor, but simply about ideal.
"It's a million-to-one shot, and Karina i never thought I'd be considered a right lida pink diamond necklace," Duhme said. "I experienced the preliminary tests, we experienced the cross-matching, then we needed to wait a month. We got the e-mail on a Monday morning in November of this past year and it ended up I was even a better match than her sister was. |
