In Memory of Jason Kilderry

Our announcements for the new 2018 events are officially on hold. For now, we celebrate the life of Jason Kilderry, Founder of ETA Coach.

For those that knew Jason, he was a coach, a friend, and an extremely well educated and self-made man. I repeat; SELF-MADE. 

The next few sentences are what I would say to Jason's face... regularly. 

I don't remember the first time I met Jason... truth be told, he's not that memorable. He was short, extremely pale, and 130lbs soaking wet. What I do remember is his 1000 questions about the race as I'm trying not to melt down during race day. It didn't matter what was going on, he wanted to get the inside information for his athletes. He was quick with a joke and had his doctorate in profanity. I loved him.

Over the years we became close. ETA Coach became the "Official Coaching" Partner of DelMoSports which was a natural fit. For the first few years of our respective businesses neither of us made ANY money. We both simply loved what we did. We loved to see people reach their goals, share their stories, and ultimately become better people through the process. He felt that way to the end as will I.

Jason was the type of person to NEVER COMPLAIN. He had a rough childhood for a number of reasons. He was plagued by circumstances out of his control. If you ever listened to one of his talks you would most certainly hear him say, "I have terrible genetics, I can't control that." He had chronic issues with his hips and his vision. He received a kidney transplant in his 20's. He was blessed with his son, Finn, at 30. Developed and succumbed to cancer at 35. 

I was lucky enough to see Jason on the Friday before his death. As he lay in the hospital bed, his body ravaged by cancer, he wanted to know if we (DelMoSports) had uploaded his training plans for the athletes! His mind was sharp. Until the end Jason was his classic self, throwing out barbs of sarcasm all the while talking about the future and his son. 

I'm sad for his family. I'm sad for this triathlon community. I'm sad for his son. But I'm going to choose the best of times with Jason to remember. My top 5 things I loved about Jason and will miss:

1. #FinnFriday updates. Every Friday, Jason would post pics of himself and his son. They were always having fun and documenting their journey's... we should remember that.
2. Drinking Beers with Jason. Jason was unapologetic about being Irish. Every St. Patrick's Day he would warn us with a post. When we had a clinic with ETA we always shared a few beers. Over beers, we solved the world’s problems.
3. Random Insults. There are times when we get busy and lose touch... not so much with Jason. I would get the random text, "What's up gap tooth?" That would begin a barrage of texts laced in profanity.  
4. He Swore He Could Fight. If you were a guy and had the pleasure of talking to Jason     for longer than 5 minutes, it was inevitable that he would tell you about his boxing background as a teen. To this day, I don't believe him and I swear he couldn't kill a bug. 
5. He was always there. Jason was a fixture in the Greater Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey endurance scene. He. Was. Everywhere. He was at expos. He was at races. He was at camps/clinics. I will miss his smile. I will miss his sarcasm. I will miss the way he would battle with people on social media. It was  impossible not to have known him, or had a friend that did. 

I wish I had something better to write, but I don't. I have fond memories... and I will always have his friendship. 

Hug the people you love. It's never too late. Seize the day. Call your mom/dad. Take care of yourself. Go after it. Live.

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