Iron man takes on good cause

Costa Mesa’s John Collett has had more than the usual number of twists and turns in his life the past couple of years. He’s even done a few sprints, strokes and some pedaling.

Collett, a retired Army Ranger, will be racing in the Ironman Canada Triathlon on Aug. 27 in Penticton, British Columbia. He is working with Team in Training as an IronTeam member to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, joining about 70 Ironman Canada and Ironman USA participants.

Ironman Canada will not be Collett’s first race for cancer awareness. He has been actively involved with Team in Training over the years.

“I was with Team in Training last year,” Collett, 34, said. “I did two events ? the Nautical Malibu Sprint in Malibu in mid-September of last year, and I did a Half Ironman called the Big Kahuna in Santa Cruz on Sept. 11.”

Team in Training has numerous chapters across the nation.

“Our primary goal is to raise money to accomplish our mission statement, which is to cure leukemia and its related diseases, like lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life for patients and their families,” said David Miller, campaign director for Team in Training’s Orange County and Inland Empire chapter.

In may, Collett did another Half Ironman in Monterey. The next step is the full Ironman race, which is the longest of triathlons and involves running a marathon, biking 112 miles and swimming 2.4 miles.

“I’m feeling good,” Collett said. “I’m training like I should be, and I’m excited about it.”

The Inland Empire will soon add Ironman training to its lineup.

“There will be an IronTeam in Santa Ana in October. I want to someday help as a coach, assistant coach or mentor,” Collett said. “I want to commit my life to volunteer and nonprofit organizations.”

Collett will donate the money he raises from Ironman Canada to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

“I want to raise $10,000 for the organization, and I also want to raise awareness for kids battling with blood cancer,” Collett said.