Today in Greenwich, CT, I swam a two-mile open water race to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. As always, Parky the Raccoon, official World Parkinson Congress mascot, cheered me on (and then got a little tipsy at brunch!).
You can see the story in pics below…but before we get started, if you haven’t already done so, please click
and donate to my Team Fox fundraising page! I am doing these races for my own health AND to speed a cure for Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Please support me in this endeavor!
Rrrrrrring! The alarm clock wakes me up at 5:00 a.m.! As always, Parky, my Speedos, my goggles, a towel, and my Parkinson’s meds are ready to start the day!
Check in! Today’s race starts on an island off the Greenwich coastline. We wait to board the ferry!
A boat full of athletes! Next stop…Brazil! (Joke!)
The island we’ll swim from!
The beach we’ll swim from! We’ll swim a mile straight out into the water, then turn around and swim straight back to shore. There are nine buoys marking the way.
Instructions! The man on the right, in the blue shirt and red cap, tells us the rules. We’ll start all together in knee-deep water. Women wear pink caps, men wear yellow. Wet suits are OK but disqualify you from winning any medals, because they give you an advantage of added buoyancy. (This is true for almost every open-water race.)
Psyched! I am a 63-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease. Work it!
We’re off! I’m in the gun-metal gray swim suit with the weirdly-contorting right arm. (Thanks, Parkinson’s disease!) Note: When the camera pans the beach, check out the enormous pink flip-flop! Whoa! What a GIGANTIC flip-flop! Which politician left that there???
I’m back! And my goggles are leaving a crease on my forehead that’ll last for hours!
On the return ferry trip! Parky and I start wondering what we’ll order at our local diner for breakfast! Note crease in my forehead from my goggles!
Breakfast! Brunch! Mango-cinnamon French toast, coffee and a Bloody Mary. Parky took two sips of the Bloody Mary and now he’s listing to one side! And I still have that crease in my forehead! But it’s all good!
Reminder! Please click here and donate to my Team Fox page!
I have one more race this summer:
- August 27: Lake George, NY, 2.5 kilometer open water race
Come back for photos of that!
- Click here for the photos of the Greenwich 1-mile race I swam in mid-July!
- Click here for last week’s race at Coney Island!
I am doing these races for my own health AND to speed a cure for Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Please support me in this endeavor!
A Blast from the Past, A message from Bruce Ballard AHS Bears 1972!
Great job, Bruce! Really enjoy reading these posts!
I love the listing Parky. Laughing. Go Bruce. You look great.
Bruce, you look in really good shape. Wow
Yet another triumph!! Congrats Bruce…YOU are remarkable. I admire your focus and your accomplishments because of your focus. You have worked hard and the reward is here now. Enjoy the glory of your efforts.
Two miles – Absolutely amazing! And what a buff physique! See you (with your clothes on) in Portland.
Can’t say much for Parky and his two sip intake ( he really should work on that), but you are doing great Bruce. I enjoy your photos, comments, and most of all determination. You are amazing!
Another fabulous achievement!! Thanks for doing all the hard work for the rest of us!
The forehead crease is a mark of honor! 🙂
Welcome to the Parkie World Congress buddy page! I really enjoyed your photo essay, and really really respect what you’re doing, here. Looking forward to meeting you at the WPC!