Former Resident Completes Ironman 10 Years After Being Paralyzed

By Ron Espiritu

The road to becoming an Ironman triathlete has been a long one for Tri-City resident Joe Dulay.

Just three years ago, Dulay - who lived in Newark up until the end of summer, and Milpitas before that, where his family still resides today - never imagined doing triathlons.

But on Oct. 8, Dulay completed the most challenging competition of his life: The 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, in which he was required to do a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.

The completion of the competition comes 10 years after Dulay's life changed. He went from being a normal young man who worked during the day and hung out with friends and family at night to being hospitalized for months.

He woke up paralyzed in his then-Dublin home and learned he had been born with occult cerebrovascular malformations, an abnormality similar to a cerebral arteriovenous malformation.

These malformations can cause blood to leak into a person's brain, reducing blood flow to the brain, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

His recovery from his paralyzing condition breathed a new life into him. Rather than planning for the future, he lived to get the most out of life today. He knew that he may not get another chance.

Subsequently, Dulay started to expand his activities ranging from yoga to rock climbing to dive fishing.

That eventually grew to competing in adventure races and in sprint triathlons.

One step at a time, he pushed himself to see how far he can go.

Of course, it wasn’t all rosy. There were times when he would throw up all night because of a massive headache, but that never stopped him. He took a step back to reset himself and then moved forward again, pushing his body to make progress.

One month before the Ironman competition, Dulay was injured and unable to train. But he still went on.

After 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and about 3 miles into the marathon leg, Dulay started to feel the pain of his condition.

His run slowed to a jog and then to a walk, but he continued. After 2 miles of walking, Joe began to feel the effects of medication he took. His perseverance paid off as he once again started to jog.

His family waited along the course to cheer him on and provide the last bit of encouragement that he needed. His 3-year-old son, Dominic, running alongside him gave him another boost to complete the task.

His jog quickened to a run until he reached the finish line and heard the lasting words from the announcer, “Joe Dulay, you are an Ironman!”

It was the first Ironman competition for the amateur triathlete and he completed the course in 14:43:27.

To read more about Dulay's Ironman experience, read his interview on FilAmTri.com.