Next month, hundreds of athletes will be in Haines City for Ironman 70.3 Florida. Among those athletes will be two Special Olympians who aren’t only inspiring each other, but the entire community.
When Ryan and Robert first met through Boy Scouts three years ago, they immediately became great friends. Both had Special Olympic dreams.
For Ryan, his specialty was cycling, while for Robert, it was swimming.
“I ended up having to buy an electric bike to keep up with him because he’s so fast,” said Ryan’s dad, Ronald Aytona.
“I’m super proud of him. He motivates me to want to get faster,” said Robert’s coach, Mark Dailey.
So these two friends decided, why not combine their strength and determination into one team?
“They really enjoy being together. Socialization is important for them, and having the different teammates, and they were really eager to practice rather than being alone,” said Ronald.
“Ryan is fast. I know he’s fast. He’s good, he’s fast on swimming, fast on the bike and the run,” said Robert.