It started with a ten-year dream.
Over a decade and twelve full-distance IRONMAN races, JJ Schuster earned something only a handful of athletes in the world ever do: a Legacy slot at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaiʻi. It cost him years of 5 a.m. workouts, a broken collarbone, broken ribs and a punctured lung, and hundreds of family sacrifices. Then everything changed — and the dream JJ had spent ten years earning became something bigger. The slot he could have kept for himself, he prepared to give away, so that Kona slot could raise money and awareness in his son's name. What unfolded from that decision became more than anyone could have imagined.
Ethan
Our son Ethan was 14 years old when he died by suicide on October 5, 2021, just one week after we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. An artist, an athlete, and one of five children, he showed no obvious signs of struggle. There were no signs, only a family changed forever. What followed became a mission to honor Ethan's life by supporting mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and reminding others that they matter.
Finish What He Started
The goal was still Kona — but the reason had changed. Friends, teammates, broadcasters, and total strangers rallied behind JJ's journey, and what unfolded on the Big Island became bigger than any finish line.
The Finish Line Was Just the Start
Kona lit a fire that hasn't gone out. New races, new shirts, new partnerships — every mile still moves the mission: make it normal to get help when your mind hurts.
