Anything is possible

COEUR d’ALENE — Ben Tran is rested and ready for what will be his ninth full Ironman on Sunday.

Tran, a sleek 5-foot-7 145-pounder out of Post Falls, considers himself in peak condition.

"I feel good," he boasted.

With what's ahead, he knows he better.

Two rows of medals for running, biking and swimming displayed in the lobby of his Coeur d'Alene office prove he finishes what he starts.

But at 45, the hard-earned hardware isn't what floats his boat.

Waking up pain-free, taking a deep breath, full of hope, is what brings the joy.

"My heart is full of gratitude," he said. "This is the best gift already. Anything else I get to do the rest of the day is a bonus."

He loves Ironman and, through it, aims to inspire.

"That's when I’m the happiest," he said.

Tran credits Ironman for his drive to seize life by the handlebars.

The best way to do that, he said, is to give to others, to help them overcome their own challenges.

"Even when you are struggling, there are people who have struggled more than you have," he said.

Tran, as it turns out, knows all about the struggle.

He knows about having nothing.

He knows about nearly dying.

He knows about persevering ... and believing.

He wants his story told and the takeaway to be this: Anything is possible.

"Ironman has helped change my life, provided healing, strength, courage, hope," he wrote.

Tran was born Vietnam in 1977.

In 1983, with his mom and grandmother, the then 6-year-old Tran tried to escape the Vietnam's Communist regime.

It was chaotic and dangerous.

He recalls being packed on a wooden fishing boat "like sardines," surviving on rice and tomatoes, and running out of food and water.

So desperate was their situation, they drank salt water.

When it finally rained, they managed to collect a tin cup of water.

"We didn't make it, ran into pirates who robbed us of every little thing we had carried with us on the fishing boat," he wrote.

Tran and his mom and grandma were put in a refugee prison for several months. They lived on a cup of rice each day.

"I remember being starved," he said.

They were eventually sent back to Vietnam. His father, though, had escaped to America and was able to sponsor his son, who arrived in 1991 as a legal immigrant in his new country.

Ben Tran lived with his dad on Oahu for a time, learned English and attended Pearl City High School.

He later joined his mom, stepfather and half-sister in Garden Grove, Calif., where they lived in a one-bedroom apartment — and that bedroom was rented out to pay the rent.

"I remember living in the kitchen for two years and I was happy because I had food to eat, clothes to wear and a swimming pool in the apartment to use," he said. "It was like the luxury lifestyle."

Tran went on to study graphic design at Cal State Long Beach. Later, he and his wife and their children moved to Hayden.

But all was not well.

He struggled to find work and provide for his family. His mom, dad and 17-year-old sister all died from cancer when he was in his 20s.

"So my family was gone," he wrote.

Depression set in as he wondered about his purpose.

"The weight of life finally caught up to me," he said.

Ironman saved him.

He recalled watching people cross the finish line — people of all shapes and sizes with all kinds of stories, expressing an array of emotions. They seemed so full of joy that Tran wanted to be part of it.

"I cried," he said.

Maybe, he thought, this was a way he could cope with life's trauma, so he registered for Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2010.

Tran learned to swim, bought a road bike and started running.

He finished that first Ironman in 12 hours and 50 minutes, which stills stands as his personal best.

All told, he has completed eight full Ironmans and 13 halfs and many shorter races. He is proud that he has never had a DNF.

"I always finish," he said.

Tran has three more Ironmans planned this year at Penticton, Chattanooga and Sacramento as he goes for Legacy Kona status that could land him a slot at the Ironman World Championship.

But it's not about personal glory.

He has reached out to dozens of people "who struggled in life to find purpose and find themselves by joining the Ironman journey."

Ironman is part of his lifestyle. Tran trains about about 10 to 15 hours a week, which he credits with avoiding burnout.

"I'm a young buck," he said, smiling.

Tran has returned to Vietnam a few times and completed a half-Ironman there in 2019.

"It was so special," he said.

He is the owner of Tran Creative, a marketing company that, among its many poursuits, raises awareness of issues facing Native Americans.

"Anything that tribal members are facing that are challenging, we bring a light to it so more people are aware of it," Tran said.

He hopes to compete in the Ironman for the rest of his life.

"Until I can't do it anymore," he said. "It makes me so happy."

Sunday, his goal is simple.

He wants to finish strong — with a smile — then be with his family.

"I have three more after this," he said.

Asked what sustains him over the arduous 140.6 miles, Tran says it goes back to his roots.

"We immigrants, we don't take things for granted because it’s such a journey just to be able to come to America," he said. "Once here, all we knew is working hard and never give up. You never have time to feel sorry for yourself. You’re always working."

He said in America, people can pursue their dreams, but that's not so in Vietnam.

"You can’t do whatever you want to do. You have limitations," he said. "Here, there’s no limitations."

A man without limits, Tran wants the world to know he is, above all, grateful.

"I have a heart full of gratitude," he said.