This One Was For Shannon

Former military pilot, Brett Carnes,tackles his first triathlon to show his support of a good friend

While preparing for and racing in my first triathlon, I was a man on a mission, but it was a different kind of mission for me. As a former cargo helicopter pilot, I was used to other missions like carrying “beans and bullets” to resupply the troops in the first Gulf War. On June 27, 2009 at the Caine Halter YMCA Sprint Triathlon, I was on a completely different mission. My secondary mission was to complete the event. My primary mission was to dedicate the event to one of my best friends, Shannon Lisk.

Shannon, a 43-year-old avid runner who now lives in Lexington, Kentucky, was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She recently completed her fourth round of chemo-therapy and, needless to say, Shannon has lost all of her beautiful blonde hair. Well, I didn’t want her to be alone so I decided to cut off my “beautiful black hair” to show my support for her. It reminds me of my first day in basic training at Fort Jackson, SC, 22 years ago. On another note, I think it may have taken about three seconds off my swim time. 

I finished the race in the middle of the pack but, as I said earlier, I was not on a mission to win it. Shannon and her husband Scott mean a lot to me, and competing in the race was my way of showing that to them. These two military friends are like family in the way that we help each other through the rough times. Shannon is going through some pretty rough times right now so my wife, Wendy, and I are doing what’s natural – helping one of our family members by showing that we care about her and her family. We’re praying that she will make a full recovery and get back on the road to running again… soon!

– Written and submitted by Brett Carnes