Soldier will participate in half-triathlon to aid Wounded Warrior Project

By Tina Ray
Paraglide

	Gonzalez

Staff Sgt. Matthew Gonzalez seems to know something about doing the right thing.

An eight-year Army veteran, Gonzalez, 29, said doing the right thing was the reason he joined the service.

But, he does not intend to let his military integrity stop there.

Gonzalez plans to participate in a half-triathlon, Saturday, in support of the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for wounded warriors. The Gator Triathlon takes place in Sarasota, Fla., and is a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile. Proceeds from the race will be donated to WWP, Gonzalez said.

Having served four tours downrange, one with Operation Iraqi Freedom and three with Operation Enduring Freedom, Gonzalez has witnessed the price that some wounded warriors pay for their service.

“I’ve got a few friends in my prior unit that have been wounded and even years after they’ve healed from their wounds, they are still going through problems and seeking medical assistance for their injuries,” Gonzalez said. “We need to be able to help our brothers who come back with problems, keep them motivated and keep them stay positive.”

Gonzalez, who has previous triathlon experience, typically trains by swimming one to two hours, biking 20 to 60 miles and running 15 miles daily if time permits or scattered over several weekly sessions, dependent upon his work schedule as an information systems specialist. He also enjoys spending time with wife, Laura and sons; Matthew, 8 and Cristian, 7.

Being active in triathlons has become a Family experience, said Gonzalez, who learned of the Gator Triathlon from his brother-in-law, Mauricio Linares.

Linares has participated in triathlons to raise money for cancer awareness, Gonzalez added.
“The whole Family has kind of come together. We like the sport and we are trying to do good in it,” he said.

Wounded warriors often do not have the limbs to participate in triathlons, Laura said. Her husband gets to lend his limbs, so to speak, to those Soldiers who have suffered lost.

“Having the opportunity to show his support in these kinds of events brings him (Matthew) hope that someday he will be able to help wounded Soldiers complete these types of events themselves,” Laura wrote by e-mail.

She said his dedication has inspired her to begin training to compete in triathlons.

If Laura gets her inspiration from Matthew, then he said that he gets his from Team Hoyt, a father and son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt who compete in various national triathlons.

Matthew said he first learned of the Family through a Facebook posting.

According to the Team Hoyt website, Dick and Rick’s goal is to make able-bodied people more aware of the issues that disabled people face daily and to help the disabled participate in activities that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Their story, “inspired me to go out there and do what I thought I couldn’t do,” said Gonzalez.

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