Triathlete With AIDS to Begin Odyssey

Jim Howley isn’t letting AIDS slow him down. In 1996, the 36-year-old athlete was the first person with AIDS to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championship.

One week later, he finished the New York Marathon. On Sunday, Howley is embarking on a 54-day transcontinental triathlon, leaving on bike from the Santa Monica Pier.

Howley will bike, run and swim across the country in an effort to raise awareness about the power of exercise in fighting disease. He plans to visit hospitals and talk to schoolchildren during his two-month journey, which is scheduled to end on the steps of New York City Hall on May 27.

The Santa Barbara resident was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS in 1989 and given 18 months to live. At the time, he was out of shape and addicted to drugs, but the news that he was facing death prompted him to change his lifestyle.

Initially, his doctors warned him against exercising, but Howley credits his triathlon training for keeping him alive.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t exercise,” Howley said. “What it did was give me the positive outlook and support I needed. I found the more I exercised, not only the better I felt physically, but the better I felt psychologically.”

He has run more than 30 marathons in the last eight years. The trek will begin at noon on Sunday at the Santa Monica Pier. Howley hopes to raise at least $250,000 with his transcontinental journey. The money will be donated to help AIDS and breast cancer research, among other charities.