NY Daily News 7/22/09
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Matt
Long, a FDNY member and competitive triathlete, was hit by a NYC
bus on his way to work (it just so happened to be the height of
the transit workers strike at the time).
Now, more than 50 surgeries and hours of rehabilitation later,
he's returning to competition.
He'll be doing the race in the company of 22 members of the
I
Will Foundation, an organization Matt Long created to support
people like himself, who have overcome the challenges posed by a
life-altering illness or accident.
Among the I Will competitors will be John Cahill, former chief
of staff to ex-Gov. George Pataki, who sent an e-mail to friends
and colleagues today, seeking to drum up support for the
foundation.
(There's a long history between the Patakites and the Longs. Not
only did the Conservative Party provide crucial support to the
former governor in all three of his elections, but Mike Long's
daughter, Eileen, worker for the administration).
Cahill's missive included the following anecdote:
"In July 2005 Matt and I did the Tupper Lake Half Ironman
competition. At the time I was riding a bike that I had
purchased over twenty years earlier. My four kids would often
ridicule my old bike as a “dinosaur” and pleaded with me to get
a new one."
"As I pulled into the parking lot for the race, we all noticed
the car next to me had a beautiful Italian bike mounted on the
roof. 'Dad, can’t you get one like that,' my kids said in
unison. It turned out to be Matt’s bike and we shared a big
laugh."
"Because of the accident, one of Matt’s legs is now shorter than
the other which required him to get a specialized bike. This
Sunday I will be enormously proud to be riding his old bike."
Cahill is en route to Lake Placid right now. During a brief
interview, he said he signed on to do the Ironman just three
weeks ago (this is pretty standard Cahill behavior; he has
finished the race before on very little training, and yes, I'm a
big fan).
Cahill predicted that Matt Long will "surprise everyone" by
finishing the race considerably faster than expected, perhaps in
as little as 13 to 14 hours. It will be a remarkable
accomplishment either way.
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