he is Ironman

In 1982, college student Julie Moss gained worldwide fame at the Ironman World Championship Triathlon. The world watched as the young woman collapsed 100 yards from the finish line before completing the course on hands and knees. Those who witnessed her painful denouement on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” wouldn’t soon forget it. Many, Lake Highlands attorney Clay Scheitzach included, would become fascinated with the sport. Fast forward 28 years. Scheitzach is preparing to toe the line at the 2010 Ironman in Kona, Hawaii. He was one of 200 athletes selected to participate alongside championship qualifiers in the event via a lottery — and he’s the only participant from the Dallas area. Why does he desperately want to do something that looked so painful? “A lot of people looked at [Moss] and thought about the torture she was enduring. I saw a woman giving everything she had. That is something we all can aspire to.” Scheitzach didn’t start running until he was in law school, and never rode a bike until he was 30 years old. “I literally had friends running next to me teaching me to ride. It was hilarious,” he says. Now, Scheitzach has 12 marathons under his belt, which is a fraction of what he hopes to do. “I hope to keep moving forward and run one in all 50 states,” he says. Somehow, in between his life as a lawyer, husband and father, Scheitzach trains daily and about 15-20 hours a week for the Oct. 9 Ironman, which includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. Luckily for him, he has a lot of support in the form of family — wife Cindy, mother of their 2-year-old daughter, is happy that it will all end in a trip to Hawaii — and training partners with Tri4Him, a Christian triathlon team. With the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, he also heads up the annual Freedom Run, which is held each September at Dallas City Hall Plaza.

The Villages of Lake Highlands is an exceptional senior living community that captures the refined elegance and charm of a Tuscan village. Featuring beautiful décor with wrought iron accents, residents at the Villages will enjoy surroundings designed to soothe the senses and enhance care. Offering a rich assortment of amenities and community areas, the Villages is perfect for those seeking compassionate care in a thoughtfully designed residential setting.

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WHODATHUNK?

Lately, kids have been sporting purple bracelets that represent more than just another teen fashion trend. They’re about giving back to babies in need. The masterminds behind the “I Luv Babies” project are Tara Lusignan, a Parkhill eighth grader, and Katie Samuelsen of Lake Highlands. The girls started selling the bracelets over the summer for $3, with $2 of each sale going straight to the local nonprofit Vogul Alcove, which provides support to babies of homeless families. Lusignan and Samuelsen have delivered more than 1,700 diapers to the shelter. “They were just so thankful,” Lusignan says. The two non-profit entrepreneurs attend the same church, Northpark

Presbyterian, and the “I Luv Babies” idea came to them during a long drive home from camp in Central Texas where the girls had learned about making a difference in their communities. Lusignan’s friend was wearing an “I Love Boobies” bracelet in support of breast cancer. “I was like, oh, what if it said ‘I love babies’,” she says. The news spread by word of mouth. The girls even have their own website devoted the cause, iluvbabies.com, as well as a Facebook page. They plan to sell the bracelets as long as people keep buying them. “I don’t think we’ll stop anytime soon,” Lusignan says. —EMILY TOMAN