Trudy Merritt is the Aquatics Supervisor/Recreation
Leader for the City of North Platte. She is a marathon runner
and swimmer and has competed in triathlons. Merritt is extremely
proud of North Platte’s recreational programs and has
this to say about them: “Our award-winning recreation department
is a leader in providing health and fitness opportunities for the
citizens of North Platte.”
A Legacy of health and
Hope The Story of the James O'Rourke Memorial Triathlon
by Trudy Merritt
The sport of triathlon is like a story.
It is an epic tale of change, sacrifice, enduring heroes and of victories
and defeats. It is the story of personal struggle, not against outside
foes, but against inner ones. And, more than anything else, it is a metaphor
for the deep longings and aspirations of the human spirit.
This is a story about a triathlon, and while it begins as a story of the
loss of one hero, it ends with the triumph of hundreds of others. It is
the story of an idea whose time had come and how one idea can change a
community.
Judge James O’Rourke was
born and raised in North Platte. He served as deputy county attorney and
county attorney for Dawson County and returned to North Platte in the post
of county judge for Lincoln County. He was one of the youngest people in
Nebraska ever appointed to a judgeship. He also served his community, his
church and, along with his wife, Jami, was busy raising three amazing children,
Emily, Adam and Katelyn.
O’Rourke was also an athlete, leading a physically active life and
teaching his children to do the same. Like Tennyson’s “Ulysses,”
he would have understood, “How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
to rush unburnished, not to shine in use.” He chose “to shine
in use” by training for the Spring Muscle Stretcher Triathlon in North
Platte in the spring of 1991.
The judge’s disciplined training is the stuff of legends are made
of. Anyone who has ever dedicated himself or herself to a goal, to an aspiration
to achieve something extraordinary, knows the heart of Jim O’Rourke.
It was his heart, however, his physical one, that closes this chapter with
sadness.
Judge James O’Rourke died of sudden cardiac arrest as the result of
genetically-linked heart disease during the running portion of his first
triathlon. A community leader, husband, father and athlete were gone, like
the fallen hero in a long-ago saga of struggle and loss.
There were no triathlons held in North Platte for the next 11 years. O’Rourke’s
death, however, was not in vain. Through his and his family’s legacy
of hard work, dedication and physical activity, his memory continues to
touch the lives of the people in his community.
I never met Judge O’Rourke, but I think we would have understood each
other. I knew that his wife and children continued to shine his light in
our community and that they were a tribute to that life.
Like many noble tales, his story stayed tucked away until the time was right
for it to be told. That time came in the fall of 2001, when community members
from North Platte gathered together to create a health and fitness initiative
to promote healthy living for its citizens.
The “Healthy For Life” community wellness program was born from
a desire to help everyone learn about and understand the choices necessary
for healthy living. One of the best gifts of health we had to offer was
a reason to get moving and stay moving – some type of special event
to use as a goal to keep exercising and eating well. More than that, maybe,
we needed to find a way to change the hearts, both literally and figuratively,
of our neighbors to help them understand that a real quality of life can
be found in healthy and active living. We wanted everyone to know that a
healthy citizenry is good for us all. My mission was to find that motivation.
I had to find something attainable for everyone, something significant to
be a part of, something that would exercise the body, challenge the mind
and strengthen the spirit. O’Rourke’s story was that something.
The inaugural James O’Rourke Memorial Triathlon was held April 28,
2002. It was a community event to celebrate all ages and abilities and 100
people became the heroes in their own stories that day. The work they had
done to get to the starting line, the changes they braved and the determination
they showed began a wave that has no end.
The medical community in North Platte became the wind without which there
could be no wave. Doctors and nurses came out of their offices and participated,
along with their families. They offered financial support. They lived what
they preached.
On the second year, more than 200 hundred people crossed the finish line
with more triumphant stories to tell.
On April 25, 2004, Nebraskaland National Bank sponsored the third annual
James O’Rourke Memorial Triathlon at the North Platte Recreation Center.
Judge O’Rourke’s legacy will continue to change the health and
the heart of our community.
NPTSummer 2004 Issue
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