"I tell her yes, I won—but I didn't come in first. I won because I tried something new and achieved," he says. "As long as you try and work toward your goal, you're a winner."

A fireman for the past 13 years and now fire chief at the West Valley Station in Saratoga for the Santa Clara County Fire Department, Anderson was always relatively active. But it was actually a work-related back injury four years ago that inspired his journey into triathlon competition.

With a physical therapy program that included running, swimming, and biking, the roots for his training were perfect. And once he had recovered, all it took was his memory of Santa Cruz resident Julie Moss crawling across the finish line in the 1982 Ironman Kona to set him on course.

Within a few months he was ready to race, and he participated in a sprint Ironman competition, which includes a 600-yard swim, 13-mile bike ride, and 4-mile run. "I caught the fever," he says with a wide smile.

From there it was on to the Olympic Ironman and half Ironman competitions. Although they were just nearly half the size of the full Ironman competitions, these races were not without their hardships. Anderson experienced severe nausea from seasickness during the swim, witnessed a cyclist in front of him hit by a car and killed, and crashed his bike as well, proceeding to the finish line while bleeding.

In 2002, Anderson finally completed his first full Ironman, an astonishing 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run.

"There has been a mental challenge in each race," he says. "But I've never not finished a race. The challenge for me is to finish."

With the help of professional triathlon coach Kaley Parkinson of Forward Motion Sports in Danville, Anderson's training for the Ironman is nearly a yearlong process. Training consists of five to seven hours a day, with activities alternating among running, swimming, biking, and strength training. "You don't have to be Superman to do an Ironman, but you have to be dedicated, willing to sacrifice, and put forth a concerted effort over a long amount of time," Parkinson says. "Todd's athletic by nature, but he's an average Joe. It's that he has the right mindset."

Everything was on track last October as Anderson prepared to race in the Ironman Florida on Nov. 8, 2003. That was until he heard of the tragic death of Troy and Alana Pack, neighbors of his mother in Danville. The children, ages 10 and 7 years, were struck by a drunken driver while walking back from getting ice cream with their mother.

The following day, with a teddy bear in his back pocket, Anderson was on his way to the memorial site when he realized he wanted to do more for the parents, who had lost their only children.

With the help of Janus Charity Fund, which aids Ironman athletes in raising money for charity organizations, Anderson decided to dedicate his Ironman Florida competition to the children. Bob and Carmen Pack responded with appreciation, and deemed Mothers Against Drunk Driving of Alameda County to be the recipient of the fundraising.

"It was the perfect opportunity to show the parents that the community grieves with them," Anderson says.

Anderson only had four days between hearing the news and leaving for the race. He dropped his training routine, had 7,500 fliers made, and spent his entire time within the community.

"Once people learned what I was racing for, they would empty their pockets," he says. In the middle of one media interview, a bystander approached and donated $500 in cash. "It clearly demonstrated to the parents the love and concern of the community for the children and their grief. It was a very touching moment," he says.

By the time Anderson left for Florida, he had raised nearly $12,000.

Donning a laminated photo of the two children around his neck, the only challenge left was to actually complete the grueling triathlon, which usually lasts up to 15 hours.

"I had heard from others that racing for someone made it easier, but I never believed it," Anderson says. "But this race did actually seem easier. Usually prior to the race I have an upset stomach, but this time there was a certain calm. I didn't even get sick on the swim."

Midway through the marathon run, Anderson discovered his roadside emergency bag of salt tablets and energy mix was empty. Running without either can be devastating, and Anderson began to feel the effects at mile 20. "I wanted to quit," he says. "But I made a promise to the mom and dad of those children, and even if I had to crawl, I was going to finish." He called out to runners alongside him, asking if they had the particular salt tablets he needed. A woman offered up a handful, of which Anderson took four. By then—with his legs completely cramped—he had to walk. Within a half-mile the salt kicked in, and he started to run again. He ended up running the final six miles nonstop and fast enough that other runners asked to pace off of him. "Everyone asked me, 'what's got into you?' " he says. "I set a new personal record that day and took 2 ¹/2 hours off my time from last year." This new time set him in fourth place for his category of competitors 45 to 49 years old and over 200 pounds. And his fundraising placed him as the fourth highest grosser for Janus.

"It wasn't until the next day that I realized why I ran so well," he says. "It was because of them, Troy and Alana."

Displaying visible signs of grief, Anderson says even though he did not know the children well, he felt racing for them was the right thing to do.

"The community was touched by this devastation and people were looking for a way to support the Packs," he says. "It happened that the avenue for those people to show their love and concern was by donating money. The story still impacts a lot of people."

A press conference was held on Nov. 24 when Anderson and MADD chapter president Steve McKaskey presented the Packs with the check. Anderson also created a special memento for the parents—a shadowbox frame including a photograph of their children autographed by Ironman legends Paula Newby-Frazer, Wendy Ingraham, and Bella Commerford, as well as his medal for finishing the race.

McKaskey says the $12,000 will be used to promote MADD's mission to "stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime, and prevent underage drinking," as well as "youth multimedia presentations, adult awareness, and for the victim assistance program."

Although Anderson took December off from training, he is back at it this month as he begins to prepare for Ironman Florida 2004. He will also compete in two half Ironman competitions in the meantime.

He is toying with the idea of running for Troy and Alana next year, but is unsure because he says the "the experience was so emotionally draining." Regardless, he will race for a charity, and no matter what obstacle, he has plenty of Ironman competitions left in him.

"My career allows me the long days I need to train, and I'm blessed with that. I'm also blessed with a wife who understands my addiction. It's not just me, but a huge sacrifice for everyone," he says. "There are tremendous risks involved in training and racing, but it's an absolute passion. It's something that no one can take away from you."

The demands of the sport seem even less of a hurdle when racing for a cause, Anderson says. "I never thought I'd say doing an Ironman was easy, but I know without a doubt those children carried me through the race. I was uplifted by angels on each shoulder."