Hello donors!

Once again, thank you for your donation in support of clean water for those without that necessary resource. charity: water will soon be sending you information regarding the status of your money, and how it's being used. They've been growing internally to better handle their growing support! In fact, I've been in personal contact with Scott Harrison to ensure that 100% Transparency is maintained.

Until they email you directly, I wanted to catch you up a bit...

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charity: water is celebrating more than 250,000 people in the Rulindo District of Rwanda having access to clean and safe drinking water. This milestone, over seven years in the making, wouldn’t be possible without incredible supporters like you.

The local government is very much invested in this process. Not only has the Rwandan government been contributing 45% of the investment in new water projects, they’re also working hand-in-hand with charity: water’s local partner, Water For People, to ensure that every citizen receives access to clean water.

The Vice Mayor of Rulindo District shares thoughts on the impact of what they’ve witnessed over the past few years. ..."We worked together with Water For People and tried to find a sustainable way to solve the problem that was affecting almost every citizen of Rulindo. Some parts of Rulindo could not think they would have water in their region. Now the dreams have become a reality everywhere."

After finishing the job in Rulindo, the next challenge is The Gicumbi District. Local partners will be able to develop terrain profiles, identify springs, and engineer designs of reservoirs faster because of the work you’ve funded in Rulindo. And the government will be right there, once again, proudly working to help even more people in need.
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"Together we can accomplish everything. Alone we can do nothing."
Namaste,
/Howie

Hello world changers! I want to give you a couple of updates.

Update 1:
Together we raised $1,325 in the Tri4Water (Ironman Los Cabos) campaign. We’re helping the 663 million people on the planet who don’t have access to clean water for drinking, cooking, or washing. Thank you for your support.

100% of this money is going out into the field. charity: water is working with their partners to pick where and how it will be used on the ground.

In the next 21 months, supplies are purchased and work begins with and in the communities to implement the projects. When they're complete, the partners send charity: water the photos and GPS for each project so that we can see the *exact community* that each of your dollars helped. Here’s an example of reports we’ll be getting. https://my.charitywater.org/p/myprojectsview?project_id=ET.GOH.Q4.09.048.213

Different water solutions are used depending on the region’s water availability, culture, and economic conditions. For instance, in areas where ground water can't be found, rainwater harvesting systems or BioSand filters are used.

Another really cool aspect of charity: water is that the work starts at the village-level. The community elects a Water Committee to oversee the project; they're trained on how to manage and maintain it. Then, the whole community contributes time and labour to the construction. Kids are often some of the most outwardly excited and engaged.

Update 2:
My campaign uses the name Tri4Water. The ‘Tri’ part is triathlon. On that note, I earned Ironman All World Athlete Gold status for 2017, as well as All Country Athlete. In my age group—men’s 50-54—I finished the year 31st in the *world*, 2nd in Canada, and 3rd in Sweden. I’m admittedly rather chuffed about this.

The journey keeps going! I’m currently in the base training phase for 2018. I have 2 half-Ironman races and 1 full Ironman race planned for the year. My goal is to qualify for the World Championships in each of those distances, which would add two more races to the calendar.

Thank you very much for your support of charity: water and your belief in me. It means a lot to be training and racing with purpose… and, as always, with gratitude.

Falling asleep last night was a slow process. Pain was present throughout the entire body, inside and out: sunburn, blisters, muscle aches, joint stiffness, abrasions, internal systems in turmoil, you name it. Today, looking over my race stats and feeling the subtle sensations, I notice that I don't want anything to do with the sun right now, which is very unusual for me. A friend of mine asked if the heat at Ironman Los Cabos was similar to Ironman Kona: no, Kona can be hotter but the sun in Los Cabos feels more intense.

My heart rate was too high for too long yesterday to allow for proper execution of my marathon run. Based on the feeling in my legs, I didn't over-bike, and hydration and nutrition were good. However, I feel that my peak fitness occurred prior to the race. For the first part of the bike ride, I gave my legs time to wake up--letting it come to me, which it did. But over time my internal systems struggled to stay afloat in the scorching conditions. After 15 kilometres of running the trickling vitality-bleed took its toll, despite fighting it with all the willpower tricks I know. Assuredly, I still have lots to learn about strengthening my mind.

Mentally, I was really positive while riding: the mantra being to “set up the run”. Visualising Patrick Lange at Kona this year, my plan was to run with tons of heart and free flowing legs. Maybe I should have backed off on the bike in order to lower my pulse. Sustained higher intensity work is, well, just not sustainable. During the marathon's middle 15km, with an easier pace and cooling temperatures, my heart rate came down and I was able to put some energy back into the tank. With a present mind, the body relaxed (slightly) allowing me to pick up the pace for the final 10km. Physically, it wasn't the least bit comfortable, but it was gratifying.

A good friend of mine asked the following morning, what positives I pull from the race and what did I improve on? There are several items, but the central aspect is that I had a more relaxed, present mind. As a goal oriented person, always running from one thing to the next looking for greener grass, this is a huge development.

And another friend reminded me that although yesterday wasn’t the exact day I wanted (6th place instead of a podium finish with accompanying qualifying Kona slot), thanks to this charity: water campaign, we’ve been a part of helping people in developing countries finally receive clean water. He's a smart man, full of heart, and a role model for me: "That’s the beauty of life...challenge ourselves while being able to help others. Impacting lives!"

Yeah, that's really what it's all about.
Thank you for being a part of helping others, positively impacting others!
Namaste,
/Howie

PS- This campaign is active until Dec. 31, 2017. Please share the link to it with family and friends. :-)

Big, big thanks to all you for supporting charity: water through this fundraiser. We raised $1125 dollars, which supplies an initial 37 people in developing countries with clean water. And the number of people helped will increase over time as water is supplied for years to come.
💦

This morning was a full dress rehearsal: swim, bike, run.
I laughed with joy in moving my body and using a relaxed mind. The hunger for tomorrow's Ironman Los Cabos race is huge!

I'll be racing with lots of gratitude.
Bib #1035.
Peace Plants Namaste
✌️➕🌱 ... 🙏
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