When was the last time you witnessed a moment so extraordinary, it changed the way you see your own potential?

In this heartfelt episode of Epic Stories, Jean Tillery shares a deeply personal account from the sidelines of the Texas Ironman—a once-in-a-lifetime moment that celebrates grit, community, and the transformative power of doing what’s hard. With a proud mom’s voice and an observer’s keen insight, Jean Tillery takes us beyond the race’s finish line to reveal the hidden stories that matter most.

Key Takeaways

• There Are Two Races in Every Journey: The one we see on the course, and the quieter, just-as-important one that happens among supporters and loved ones 01:19.
• Support Means Meeting People Where They Are: Sometimes support looks like cheering, sometimes it’s simply offering silence and space 02:06.
• Community Makes the Impossible Possible: No achievement, no matter how individual it appears, is completed alone 03:35.
• Adversity Is Inevitable—Resilience Is a Choice: It’s not about avoiding challenges, but about how you respond when things go wrong 05:16.
• Extraordinary Is Found in Endurance, Not Ease: What truly sets people apart is the willingness to keep going, especially when it hurts 07:13.
• Epic Moments Can Go Unnoticed—and That’s Okay: Sometimes the real gift is knowing these moments happened, even if we weren’t there to witness them first-hand 02:54.
• The Big Question: What hard thing have you been avoiding, and is it time to step into your own “race”?

What is your “hard thing”? This week, embrace the challenge instead of waiting for it to feel easier. Share your journey and epic moments with Jean Tillery on the Epic Living with Jean Facebook page, and check out photos and more inspiration from the race. For more tools and to start your own epic journey, visit epiclivingwithjean.com, grab your free guide, and connect about living your own EPIC story. Don’t forget to share this episode using #epiclivingpodcast!

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When was the last time that you really listened to someone's story or your own? Welcome to Epic Stories, where we have real conversations about the moments that shape us, the choices that stretch us, and the stories that remind us of what is possible. My name is Jean Tillery, and I believe it's all all about the story. I'm going to start this episode with a little bit of an apology. Yes, this is another Iron man story, but I just couldn't help it. And if you're a parent, you're probably going to understand this. I firmly believe that it is my job to embarrass my kids every now and then, and I believe it's also my job to honor them when they do something incredible. And Zach absolutely earned that. So, yes, this is another Iron man story because I'm a proud mom and this story is worth telling.

I thought I understood the Iron Man. After watching Zach compete in his first half Iron man and Waco, I had seen the grit, the endurance, the push. But this time at the full Ironman in Houston, I realized something different. There are actually two races happening. The one on the course and the one you witness from the sidelines. And if you're paying attention, you realize it isn't just about swimming, biking and running. It's about something much deeper. For some background information, I was in Tomball, Texas on August 18th for the memorial Herman Ironman, Texas.

This race serves at the North American Championship. And because of that, among the 2,000, 177 athletes competing, there were professional racers that competed for prize money and for a chance to earn a slot in the World championship race, usually held in Kona, Hawaii. One of the biggest lessons for me was what it actually means to support someone chasing something hard. Because that support person, it's not about what you need, it's about what they need. And sometimes that looks like cheering and excitement and energy, but sometimes it looks like silence, space, not asking questions even when you really want to. Now, if you know me, that is not exactly my strength, but I had to learn. This wasn't my race, it was my role to honor it. There was a bell at the start of the finished shoot, and if it's your first Iron man, you get to ring it.

I didn't know that. And if I had, I probably would have been standing right there waiting. Later, I told Zach, wow, that's kind of sad, but also amazing because you'll never get a chance to ring it again. And that really stuck with me because life is full of moments like that once in a Lifetime moments that we don't even realize are happening. We miss them, we hear about them later, but that doesn't make them less meaningful. It just reminds us that we can't be everywhere. We can't capture everything. Sometimes the gift is simply knowing that it happened.

The Texas Ironman is known as one of the most spectator friendly races. You can walk along the channel and follow along with the swimmers, sit at a restaurant and watch the runners pass by. And that creates something incredible. Community. Our hotel was filled with athletes and families from all over the world, people we had never met, cheering for each other like they've known each other forever. One family even caught photos of Zach for me during the run just so that I could have them. His roommate drove down from Austin to be there. And it reminded me that no one does something like this alone.

Even when it looks like an individual race, it takes a village. There were also some sobering reminders during both of Zach's races. Someone died during the swim. When you look into it, it's not uncommon. The combination of adrenaline, cold water, anxiety, and sometimes underlying health issues, it's a lot. This time it was a professional athlete, someone at the top of her game, someone who had qualified for the world championship, someone who had the flu before the race but wasn't about to let that stop her from competing. And it was a reminder. This isn't just a challenge, it's serious.

And it puts everything into perspective. It isn't about a medal, it's not about your time. It's about respect for what's being attempted. Even with all the training, all the preparation, things still go wrong. Zach had two of his supply bags disappear during the race. The nutrition that he trained with, the things that his body expected, gone. So he had to adjust, rely on what was available, push through the moments when his body struggled. And it made me realize that no matter how prepared you are, there will always be something that you didn't plan for.

The question isn't will something go wrong, it's what will you do when it does? Again, I stood in that finish line alley, cheering, screaming, high fiving athletes for over an hour, watching people cross that line, some strong, some barely holding it together. And every single time, hearing the announcer say, you are an ironman. And something I noticed that honestly, I'm really proud of, there were a lot of women crossing that finish line. And every single one of them heard, you are an iron man. And they wore it like a badge of honor. Because at that point, the title wasn't about gender. When you've done something that hard labels don't matter nearly as much as the fact that you finished. And then Zach's roommate looked at me and said, I see him.

He's ringing the bell. And I got to watch that come down that chute. And when I heard, zachary, you are an iron man, I lost it, just like I knew I would. And then, of course, like any mom, my brain immediately went to, okay, what's next? Will he do it again now that he's experienced it? Will he go after that sub 12 hour goal? Will he keep going, keep pushing, maybe even try to qualify for Kona someday? I mean, really, I wouldn't be mad about a trip to Hawaii. I don't know what's next. But I do know this. Whatever he decides, I'll be there cheering him on, just like I was this time. Before the race, I asked Zach, why do you do this? And yes, there was the obvious answer to prove that he could.

But what he said next has really stayed with me. He said there's not a lot of skill required. Most people can swim, bike and run, but what makes you an Ironman is knowing that it's going to hurt and doing it anyway. That's it. That's the difference. It's not talent. It's not perfection. It's the willingness to feel the pain, to expect the struggle and keep going anyway.

Most people don't. So here's your epic message for today. Standing there, watching all of this unfold, I realized something that goes far beyond an Ironman race. You don't become extraordinary because something is easy. You become extraordinary because you're willing to keep going when it's not. Here's what I want you to ask yourself. What is something in your life right now that you know is going to be hard? Something you maybe have been avoiding because you already know it's going to hurt. Here's your epic challenge for the week.

Don't wait for it to feel easier. Decide if it matters enough to do it anyway. And when you do, I'd love to hear about it. Head over to my epic Living with Jean Facebook page, pace, and tell me what you've chosen to take on and I'll be there cheering you on. And if you want to see some of the moments from this race, the finish line, the energy, the people who made this experience what it was, I've shared photos over there as well. Go take a look. I think you'll feel it. At the end of the day, it's not about the race.

It's about the decision to finish and whether you're the one running or the one standing on the sidelines cheering someone on, it all matters. It's all part of the story. And as always, it's all about the story. Thanks for hanging out with me. If today's episode struck a chord with you and you want to spread the love, please share using the hashtag epiclivingpodcast and leave a comment on my Facebook page. Head over to my website epiclivingwithjean.com to learn more about what it means to live epic. And while you're there, download a free guide 7 Ways to Start Living Epic and it will help you take your first step. If you want to learn more about my Dream Manager program or just want to chat about what EPIC might look like in your life, reach out to me and let's set up a call.

See you next time. I hope you go out and live EPIC today and every day and remember, it's all about the story.