Career
Born and raised in Seekonk, Massachusetts, Blais moved to San Diego, California because of its reputation as a triathlon mecca and to work with learning disabled and at risk students. On May 2, 2005, at age 33, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ), also known as Lou Gehrig"s disease or motor neurone disease, a progressive disease in which the nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movement degenerate and die official He was permitted to enter the 2005 Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, a lifelong dream.
As Blais put it, "Finishing the race is huge for medical
Number one is beating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis . Number one has done anything but walk away and die." His resolve to finish the race was unwavering as he stated, "Even if I have to be rolled across the finish line, I"m finishing." With a total time of 16:28:56, more than half an hour before the cutoff, he "log-rolled" across the finish line and is the first person with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis to start and finish this race. He died on May 27, 2007.
Some international triathletes continue to honor Blais and show their support for the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis by doing a "Blazeman-Roll" across the Ironman finish-line. The is a non-profit organization that raises money internationally to foster awareness of and research on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis . As a popular money-raising cause and "reason to race" for professional and amateur triathletes, the organization is the subject of frequent press coverage in local news outlets around the world and in media devoted to running, swimming, bicycling, and triathlon competition.
Supporters include leading Ironman competitors, such as Chrissie Wellington, Leanda Cave, Andy Potts, Mirinda Carfrae, Matt Reed, Bryan Rhodes, and Scott Tinley.
In 2011 these star triathletes were featured in a music video to raise money for the foundation. Exemplifying the passion amateur athletes have for the cause, 18-year-old "Blaze Kid" Jennifer Hansen had raised almost $30,000 for the organization before reaching eligibility for her first Ironman event in 2011. The San Francisco athlete said the disease hit home with her in 2009 when a beloved basketball coach was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis . Research funding from the foundation has been awarded to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center ($11,300 in 2011), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine ($400,000 committed through 2012 ), and the University of Maryland, where the organization will be supporting the university"s Brain and Tissue Bank in setting up a program for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients to donate their tissue postmortem for research.
