Oz takes 3rd in age group, 42nd overall!

As Oz crossed the finish line yesterday, everyone in the crowd knew they were seeing something special. This was a man at the edge of physical breakdown, willing himself toward the finish in a total sprint despite an agony so extreme it would cripple most men. There was no one immediately behind him, and no one close enough in front to catch. There was just Oz, doing the best he could do.

A 2.4 mile swim that looked like a feeding frenzy as over two thousand competitors clawed their way through the choppy water: "I got kicked in the face during the swim and it knocked my goggles off, but it was no big deal." -- Oz Pearlman

112 miles on a bike through cold slippery streets: "I crashed coming around a circle. When I got back on my bike I was numb. I couldn't feel the right side of my body, but not in a good way... it was tight. I knew I had to slow down because if I fell again I'd hit the same spot." -- Oz Pearlman

And a 26.2 mile run in a cold and steady rain: "I could have run another 10 miles". -- Oz Pearlman

There was not one person in that race who left more of himself out on that course than Oz. Oz gave everything he had to that competition. Nobody hurt more, nobody dug deeper, nobody put on a better show. Oz was here because he had gotten it in his mind that he wanted to be here. When he started training a little over a year ago he had no reason to think he could do it. He just did. When he saw the progress he was making in his training he had no reason to think he could keep getting better. He just did. And when he looked at his training times and said to himself, "I bet I can qualify for Hawaii" he had no reason to believe it. But he did believe it.

And on Sunday he did qualify for the world championships in Hawaii.

The secret to Oz's success as a professional magician and the secret to his success as an athlete are one in the same. It's his ability to focus on a goal and put in the time, hard work and pain to make it happen.

As OZ charged down the final hundred yards toward the IRONMAN finish I saw one of the strongest doses of determination I've every seen, and it brought tears to my eyes.

I ran over to Oz. One person was putting a medal around his neck, another support member was making sure he was physically OK, and a third was putting a wrap around his shoulders to keep him warm.

When he saw me running over he said the words I'd been thinking all along, "Born to perform, baby. Born to perform."