HARAHAN, La. (WGNO) — For Phil de Gruy, Sunday, June 25 is a day of reckoning. The two-time cancer survivor is running his first Ironman Triathlon in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, a location chosen because one of his four sons, Corey, lives there.
“I’m going from Stage IV to 140.6,” has been de Gruy’s mantra since he found out cancer was attacking his body for a second time in June 2017. He told his doctor that chemo was off the table this time around, and instead, the now 54-year-old transformed his lifestyle.
The burger-loving owner of Phil’s Grill closed his restaurant and transitioned to a Mediterranean diet. In the weeks and months leading up to this Ironman, he’s been training to the tune of more than 100 miles a week of running, cycling, and swimming. During an Ironman Triathlon, competitors swim for 2.4 miles, cycle for 112 miles, and run for 26. 2 miles.
The swimming presents a special challenge since he had to have half of his left lung removed during surgery to fight his first bout of cancer.
WGNO’s Stephanie Oswald met him on the levee in Harahan and asked him, “Before cancer, were you a runner?”
“No, not at all,” he laughed, adding, “but I read an article that said endurance training builds the immune system against terminal disease and that’s all I needed to read.”
During de Gruy’s first Ultra Marathon, he had a realization.
“I’m in the last few miles of it and I was like, ‘Man, I think I’m going to start a foundation to raise money for kids who have lost a parent to cancer.’ I lost my dad at 12, not from cancer, but my mom had to go back to work for the first time in my life, and there are things I knew I couldn’t ask for.”
He launched the foundation, Running For Dreams, in September 2022 and has raised more than $40,000. One big fundraiser was the very first “Phil Phest” 5K Run, held April 15th in Harahan. More than 300 runners showed up to compete on the levee and enjoy live music afterward at St. Rita Church.
The first recipient of a grant from Running For Dreams is Kiera Magee, whose mother died from cancer. She’s using the money to help pay her college tuition at the University of Oklahoma.
To find out more, or to make a contribution to this worthwhile cause, click here.
His family has been cheering him on every step of the way. His wife Christina Ferrara de Gruy and his three sons Jacob, Jackson, and Jude flew from New Orleans to Coeur d’Alene Idaho to attend the Ironman. We join them in saluting Phil de Gruy, a hero to his family, the local community and so many others impacted by the pain of cancer.
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