He swims, bikes, runs (and tweets) for kids

The tweets started coming in last summer. Slowly at first, and then appearing almost daily—sometimes even multiple times a day. Who was this young athlete so passionately encouraging Child Saving Institute's kids to have hope? He is Adam “A.J.” Fitzhenry, 28, a paramedic and EMT from Lafayette, La., who also happens to compete in one of the world’s most grueling competitive sports— the Ironman Triathlon. 

RETWEET if you want the kids under the care of @ChildSaving to know you care about them and are praying for them! DO IT FOR THE KIDS! 

The Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a marathon 26.2-mile run, raced in that order and without a break. In order to compete at this level, A.J. follows a strict regimen, training 3 to 8 hours a day. 

A.J. admits he wasn’t always such an avid athlete. After gaining weight in college, he decided to get in shape and made it his goal to run a marathon. He started training—slowly at first, then realized he enjoyed long-distance running. After running his first marathon, he was hooked, and was ready to explore other endurance sports. While on a business trip to Louisiana, he met Terry Butts, a world-renowned strength and endurance trainer. A.J. was so impressed with the coach, he moved to Louisiana—a move that also offered milder weather allowing for a longer training season. 

I’m proud to swim bike run for the foster kids @ChildSaving! They motivate me, inspire me and challenge me. DO IT FOR THE KIDS!

A.J. not only tweets for the foster kids, he also raises money for Child Saving Institute's programs by encouraging his triathlete colleagues and Facebook friends to give up a coffee and give $5 to the kids on Fridays. It is an idea that came from his mother, Cathy Fitzhenry, who, with A.J.’s dad, had served as a CSI mentor and admired the agency’s work. 

Shout Out Friday for the foster kids @ChildSaving. Donate $5 today and show them you care about them! swimbikerunforkids.com

“My grandfather was a foster kid in Chicago,” A.J. notes, explaining his family’s passion for at-risk kids. “He was one of the biggest role models of my life. He lived the American Dream—coming from nothing and turning it into a success story. Through his example and my mother’s mentoring work, I know we all need help and support in our lives—especially the kids. 

Courage from a foster kid doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it is simply their quiet voice saying—I’ll keep going and hoping. @ChildSaving 

“And working for their behalf helps me, too. A lot of time you can get frustrated, get down, when you put so much work into the training and then not get the results you’d like. But then I think about the kids living in the shelter, and I step back and think, ‘At the end of the day, I’m really fortunate. I have it good.’ I take a breath of fresh air and think about the kids and they help me keep it all in perspective.”

To follow A.J. on Twitter, go to twitter.com/SwimBikeRunNow