The Hammer with a Heart

If you Google Sandy Liaw’s name, you will find out that she is a seven-time Ironman finisher, one of those times includes Kona and another a first place finish in her age group at Arizona in 2005.

What you will not be able to find is that this “hammer” has a huge heart and spends as much time volunteering, supporting friends and strangers as she does racing.  Last year at Couer D’Alene, she served as a body marker, bike marshal and catcher at the finish line so she could support as many people as possible.

“I am blessed with friends that are there for me cheering me on when I race.  It’s only fair that I give that support back to them as well as to complete strangers.  The best support that you can give is to volunteer at a race and cheer for them as well as everyone else out there giving it their all,” says Sandy.

Tricia Gillman Holmes is one of Sandy’s training partners in the San Francisco bay area and nominated Sandy to be our Athlete of the Month.  She writes, “Sandy is a humble yet accomplished triathlete. Not only is she an accomplished age group triathlete, but she also always has a positive attitude and spends time to make sure that the other athletes training around her are having fun, staying positive and remain taken care of.  She understands what the spirit of the sport is all about, not just winning, but being a part of a community and supporting each other.”

Tricia has been one of the people cheering for and being cheered on by Sandy. “I have personally been going to Ironman Arizona to cheer for Sandy for the past 3 years. I found it so interesting that the first year she didn't have anyone going to cheer for her and yet she didn't care. She had her goals in mind, focused on her training and had it on her list that she would go to Arizona on a specific date to do her race. I knew she had been training a lot and that she was strong but she never said anything about her goals, or bragged about being able to beat other people or anything. Instead she spent time running around getting fruit and drinks for our friend working in the Inside-Out bike mechanics area at the Expo, did her pre-race workouts and mentally got prepared for her race. On the day of her race, the conditions were hot and windy but she never complained, she just stayed focused and kept on moving forward. In the end she won her age group. It was so exciting and she was really happy but even then she wanted to stay around and watch as our other friends came in across the finish.”

When you are racing to win or place, we sometimes forget that triathlon is fun.  Volunteering and supporting other athletes reminds us of the spirit of triathlon and the camaraderie that is possible through the support of strangers.  While volunteers and fast triathletes are plenty in the sport of triathlon.  The unique combination of a fast, volunteer triathlete makes Sandy special.  Her dedication, spirit and attitude toward triathlon are something worth recognizing and celebrating. 

Sundog Eyewear™ Recognizes T-Dot Athlete of the Month:
Sundog Eyewear™ recognizes and supports the efforts of athletes like Sandy who are constantly striving to support the growth of their sport.  Because Sandy was selected as our Athlete of the Month, she will receive a pair of Sundog sunglasses and custom T-Dot logo case, compliments of Sundog Eyewear™.  Sundog Eyewear provides genuine performance sunglasses worn by top athletes like world champion Melanie McQuaid.  Sundog Eyewear is the official sunglasses of the Accenture Chicago Triathlon, official eyewear of Ironman UK and Ironman 70.3 for 2007, the recommended eyewear of the British Triathlon.

Recognize a T-Dot Athlete:
Each month we will feature an athlete who exemplifies the sport of triathlon - not just people who are fast, but people who are actively helping to grow the sport either through their actions, charity or other accomplishments.

If you know someone who you would like to nominate, let us know!
To nominate someone for Athlete of the Month, click  here