Meet Andreas ‘Pitti’ Heerwagen.
Pitti was born in the East when Germany was still divided and grew up to serve in the German Navy. He came to the United States in 2007 for a military exchange program. He fell in love with America and never left, gaining his green card. Currently, he works in sales at S&S Precision.
For 15 years, Pitti has competed in triathlons including five Iron Man iterations as well as over 30 other events. This time, he’ll be competing in the Maryland Cambridge Iron Man on Oct 3rd. In addition to the thrill of competition, Pitti will also raise funds and awareness for the All In All The Time Foundation. His other goal is to not let Drew down.
Although always in training, he’s had his sights on this regional qualifying Iron Man since January. Pitti admitted to being “Addicted to working out”, and currently participates in one major event per year to provide purpose for his efforts.
He reiterated several times that he was not doing this one for himself and he’s said that it’s made the training easier. Plus, he’s 40 now. He knows what he’s done wrong in that past and what works.
But there’s something more. Pitti recently read a book that has seriously influenced his training philosophy. He read, “Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance“. He not only has taken inspiration from this book, he has given copies to friends. He spoke with me about it, “It’s a natural born lifestyle…in our DNA. We were made for a time when you couldn’t just pick up a Snickers, you had to fight for it. You couldn’t eat four times a day.” To learn more about what Pitti was talking about, you’ll have to read the book, but I’ve got to say, it seems to be working. I’ve known Pitti for years but never seen him this lean, or focused. He told me that he is the same weight as when he was a young man starting out in the service. If there is anything personal about this race, it’s that he wants to realize his goal of qualifying for Hawaii.
When I asked if there was anything he wanted to add, he said, “I want to to thank S&S for allowing me to train hard.” Pitti isn’t alone in his commitment to this cause. Drew from S&S said that his arms are getting tired from giving massages every day.
Please join us in supporting Pitti.
www.gofundme.com/SSP-IronmanMD
