Retired Navy Veteran and Fuquay-Varina resident celebrates his success in Triathlete competitions

Reaching your 60’s is typically a time when people start to take it easy and avoid risky adventures. That’s not how a Fuquay-Varina man plans to celebrate his 60th birthday.

His love for Triathlon competition has earned him a house-full of medals, trophies and memories.

"The garage is kind of a hybrid of where I’ve put some of my medals," said Don White, a retired Navy veteran of 25 years.

His garage is just one place where he stores his hard-earned treasures. His love for endurance races began at the age of 16.

White explained, "I saw a poster in the bike shop that said, Hey, there’s this triathlon coming up, swim a mile, bike 25 miles, run 6 miles, I was like, I could do that!"

That’s what led him to compete in a Marine Corps Marathon. "And I finished in 4 hours and 20 minutes and I kind of got hooked."

Later, he joined the Navy and signed up for Triathlons. In 1992, he won 3rd in his age group. That moment was caught on local television. A younger Don White told the interviewer, "I wanted to do well in the military division just because it’s a high-profile race."

By then, White was 30 years old and aiming for his next 30-year goal. "And so, I was like, hey, maybe I’ll do 60 Triathlons or 60 multi-sport races in 2023 in honor of my 60th birthday."

That celebration begins on November 2nd. Triathlon is more than just a hobby for White. He said, "Luckily I work in the Triathlon business, so I’m afforded the opportunity to race and work at the same time."

He organizes Triathlons and then races in them. He has a rack of racing bikes and a bike-trainer in his garage.

His medals and plaques are hung on the garage walls as well as in his personal study. "I would say there’s about 50 medals on this rack," said White.

White estimates he has competed in about 400 Triathlons, finishing every race. That’s why his wife Suzanne let him decorate the living room for his big birthday milestone.

What comes next? "People joke, are you going to do 61 next year? and I was like, no, I’m not, but I will probably go back to just doing about 20 or 25 Triathlons," said White.

White estimates that only about 100 people have ever raced in 400-Triathlons like he has. He plans to stay involved with the sport for as long as possible.