Introducing Brian Looper & In The Loop

Ever been inspired by a race or event and said to yourself, “I’m doing that next year.”? For most of us, that feeling lasts about a day or so and then, like New Year’s resolutions, it fades away as our everyday lives intrude.  Not so in the case of Brian Looper and the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF).

Brian is a real-estate investor, new dad, triathlete, fitness enthusiast, blogger (www.brianlooper.com) and supporter of CAF.

Every year the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) stages the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, a half Ironman triathlon to further its mission of providing “opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics.” After watching the race in 2001, Brian was so impressed and inspired that he knew he wanted to participate in the race and help CAF as well.

Unlike those New Year’s resolutions that get shelved, Brian’s involvement with CAF has survived past the ‘good intentions’ phase. He competes yearly in the San Diego Triathlon Challenge and continues to raise funds and awareness for CAF even though he’s moved away from the San Diego area where CAF is based.

Clever Parents is excited to announce a new column, “In The Loop,” by Brian about general fitness and the Challenged Athletes Foundation. We think the topic is a great fit since we, too, endorse the CAF’s position that “The Challenged Athletes Foundation believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life.” In addition to sharing insights into the Challenged Athletes Foundation, Brian will share his trials and tribulations of exercising and caring for his infant daughter. Look to future columns where Brian will share his thoughts on and attempts at remaining an Ironman.

Clever Parents caught up with Brian to talk about the Challenged Athletes Foundation, his first Ironman triathlon, and his favorite part about being a dad.

Clever Parents: Tell us about the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
Brian Looper: The Challenged Athletes Foundation (www.challengedathletes.org) started when a group of friends put together a half iron-distance triathlon at La Jolla Cove in 1994 to raise money to buy a wheelchair accessible van for a friend.  That friend was Jim MacLaren, a below-knee amputee Ironman triathlete who became a quadriplegic after being hit by a vehicle while racing in a triathlon.  The goal of that first race was to raise $25,000 to purchase the van, however, the event ended up raising about $50,000.  The event, held annually and now known as the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, is consistently raising between one and two million dollars and is providing hundreds of grants each year to people with permanent physical disabilities the world over.

Clever Parents: How did you get involved with CAF? What is your current involvement with
CAF?
Brian Looper: I grew up in San Diego and heard about the San Diego Triathlon Challenge throughout the mid-90s.  The local news would cover it, but I just thought it was a bunch of crazy people that raced in triathlons.  Somehow I decided to give triathlon a try in 1999 and was hooked after my first race.  In 2001, on a whim, my girlfriend (and now wife) and I decided to grab some coffee and head down to La Jolla Cove to watch the San Diego Triathlon Challenge.  We knew the event was to benefit CAF, we knew that Robin Williams would be there (he’s the cyclist on a relay team every year), and we figured it might be something cool to watch on a lazy Sunday morning.  As it turned out, watching the race that year was one of the most enlightening moments of my life.  It was amazing watching people with no arms and no legs swimming with able-bodied athletes, watching blind people swim, bike and run with the help of a guide, and experiencing the energy of that event.  My wife and I decided on the spot that we were going to participate in the San Diego Triathlon Challenge the following year, and we’ve been supporting CAF as fundraisers and participants ever since.  After moving to Michigan in 2003, I realized that CAF wasn’t nearly as well known elsewhere as it was in Southern California.  So these days I try to tell everyone I can about the organization and promote it as much as possible, while fundraising and participating in CAF’s events.

Clever Parents: What do you do for a living?
Brian Looper: I help people buy and invest in real estate.  I also have a small photography business that sustains itself, but is more a weekend warrior type of job compared to my involvement in real estate.  Of course, those two things aren’t enough for me, so I’m also a USA Triathlon official in my other spare time.  However, there is an ongoing re-focusing of business ventures these days, since I started the new pursuit of Dad last year.

Clever Parents: What is your favorite form of exercise?
Brian Looper: It really depends on the day.  These days, it seems like whatever I can fit into my schedule is my favorite.  An open water swim is great on a Friday evening, but you only get so many of those in Michigan each year.  If I get the chance to work out at sunrise, I’m all for hitting the pool or going on a ride around the lake as the day breaks.  Running…not my favorite, but it’s the most convenient since we have a baby jogger.  All that being said, these days I find myself doing a lot of yoga to keep in shape since my long training days are over for the time being.

Clever Parents: What are some of your hobbies?
Brian Looper: Working on my house is up near the top.  I love building things – whether it’s a business, my house projects or a fundraiser – I just can’t have enough projects.  Of course, triathlon is on the list, as is photography.  I like to read, but haven’t had as much time recently as I’d like.  Although it goes without saying, I better mention it anyway – I love spending time with my family, too.

Clever Parents: Tell us about your first Ironman - was it everything you thought it would
be?
Brian Looper: My first Ironman was awesome.  The race was Ironman Florida – a flat, fast course that I figured would kindly allow me to finish my first Ironman.  Somehow I managed to get married, buy a house and move across the country, then race in Ironman Florida the same year.  My goal was to finish and have a solid, mistake free race.  I did that and had a great time in the process.  That being said, you don’t realize the great time until after you finish.  I don’t care what anyone says, whether you’re the first guy finishing at just over 8 hours or the last guy crossing the line just minutes before the official midnight cutoff (and even shortly there after), everyone suffers during an Ironman.  Stomach problems, leg cramps, the craving for something – anything – other than Powerbars/gels/Gatorade…no one is immune.  But once it’s over, and for me within the last mile when I could hear the activity at the finish line, it makes all the training and suffering worth it.

Clever Parents: What plans do you have for your next race?
Brian Looper: Until last week, my next race was going to be Ironman Revisited.  It seems that everyone has heard about the Hawaii Ironman and knows that it’s on the Big Island.  Well that wasn’t always the case – it started on Oahu and didn’t move to the Big Island until 1981.  The original course was a combination of the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the Around Oahu Bike Ride and the Honolulu Marathon.  A few years back, two of CAF’s founders – Bob Babbitt and Rick Kozlowski (who raced on the original course in 1980) – decided to recreate that race as a fundraiser for CAF and called it Ironman Revisited.  It’s been my favorite race to do the past two years, unfortunately, this year’s race had to be postponed until 2007.  So, now I’m looking forward to CAF’s other race, the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, in November.

Clever Parents: What’s your favorite part about being a dad?
Brian Looper: Hmmm…I don’t know if I can completely answer that.  There’s no one thing that I can put my finger on.  My daughter’s whole life so far has been amazing – even the sleepless nights and what seem like hours of a constantly crying baby.  All the little things make the experience unforgettable, from my daughter reaching for me to pull her out of the crib in morning to seeing her sitting in her high chair and smiling at me with a face covered in baby food to watching her teach herself how to crawl.  I guess my favorite part of being a dad is watching and helping my daughter grow, but really there is so much more to it that I can’t really describe…

Clever Parents: Anything else you’d like to share?
Brian Looper: Of course – I could go on for hours about CAF, triathlon, buying and investing in real estate, dogs and leash-free dog parks, sports photography, etc.  But to make it easy on everyone, visit me at www.BrianLooper.com and I’d be happy to continue those conversations with anyone who is interested.