Johnny Blais

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Jon Blais ("Blazeman") is an American triathlete. Born and raised in Seekonk, Massachusetts, he moved to San Diego, California, because of its reputation as a mecca for triathlon. He worked as a special education teacher. On May 2, 2005, at age 33, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ("Lou Gehrig's disease"), a terminal muscle-wasting illness. He was permitted to enter the 2005 Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, a life-long dream. He is believed to be the first person with ALS to attempt the Hawaii Ironman. As Blais put it, "Finishing the race is huge for me. No one is beating ALS. No one has done anything but walk away and die." With a total time of 16:28:56, more than half an hour before the cutoff, he "log-rolled" across the finish line and is certainly the first person with ALS to finish this race. He died on May 27, 2007.