Project run

Executive: Brad Minus, senior project manager, Tampa General Hospital; founder, IronGoof, Tampa.

Diversion: Coaching running technique through his company IronGoof and competing in Ironman triathlons, marathons, and multiday races like the Goofy and Dopey at Disney.

Back to Fitness: In December 2008, Minus, a self-proclaimed “workaholic,” was told by a doctor that his “blood counts were off the chart,” and he needed to get back to fitness. So he decided to join a military-style boot camp to get back in shape, where he quickly realized he loved working out, especially running. He signed up to run the Chicago Marathon in October 2009 with the rest of his class, to support a friend with a terminal illness.

Bump in the Road: Two weeks before the big race, Minus found out he had a herniated disk. His orthopedic surgeon and neurologist told him he would never run more than three miles. But Minus had set other goals — completing an Ironman was at the top of his bucket list. He remembers thinking, “I don't believe you. I'll find a way to run, and I'll find a way to run long,” he says. “I knew they were talking about my current condition, and not what it could be. I wasn't going to let them hold me back.”