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Wiedmer: Tears are part of what makes Ironman special

Steve Bean wears his Ironman bracelet while he listens to his wife, Lisa, share a story abound their son, Cameron. The Bean family spoke to the Times Free Press about their 28-year old son, elite runner Cameron Bean, who was killed Monday after being hit by car while running. Cameron was training his father, Steve, for this Sunday's Ironman.
Steve Bean wears his Ironman bracelet while he listens to his wife, Lisa, share a story abound their son, Cameron. The Bean family spoke to the Times Free Press about their 28-year old son, elite runner Cameron Bean, who was killed Monday after being hit by car while running. Cameron was training his father, Steve, for this Sunday's Ironman. Steve Bean wears his Ironman bracelet while he listens to his wife, Lisa, share a story abound their son, Cameron. The Bean family spoke to the Times Free Press about their 28-year old son, elite runner Cameron Bean, who was killed Monday after being hit by car while running. Cameron was training his father, Steve, for this Sunday's Ironman.

By Mark Wiedmer 6 min read

Steve Bean wouldn’t take credit for the remarkable examples of courage, toughness and love he displayed throughout Sunday’s Little Debbie Ironman. Instead, with the biggest emotional challenge of his 58 years on Earth finally completed at 11:21 p.m., Bean said, “It was something else, not me. I talked to Cameron the whole way. I said, ‘Help me be as strong as you were. I’m so tired. Could you give me your legs?'”

Only a day earlier he had witnessed the burial of his 28-year-old son, an elite distance runner who just missed qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Trials.

photo Steve Bean wears his Ironman bracelet while he listens to his wife, Lisa, share a story abound their son, Cameron. The Bean family spoke to the Times Free Press about their 28-year old son, elite runner Cameron Bean, who was killed Monday after being hit by car while running. Cameron was training his father, Steve, for this Sunday’s Ironman.

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photo When Steve Bean, right, competed in the half Ironman in May, Cameron, left, took care of all the details, from loading gear and planning meals to helping his dad during transitions in the race.

And Cameron was supposed to run side by side with his father in the Ironman, the two of them swimming 2.4 miles together in the Tennessee River before biking 114 miles, then running the final 26.2 miles, father and son quite possibly crossing the finish line together, the ultimate buddy team.

“It was a yearlong process that we had done together, every single day,” Bean told multiple media outlets.