Trish & Rod Hannon

Marathon Runner & Ultimate Frisbee Players

There are many advantages to living an athletic lifestyle. For my husband and me, competing is not only the key to our happiness as individuals, but it brings us closer as a couple.

By Trish Hannon

When Rod and I met on the Ultimate Frisbee field 8 years ago, we were immediately attracted. After playing side-by-side for a few weeks, love blossomed and bloomed. Sports have played a major role in our lives and relationship ever since. Rod continues to play Ultimate Frisbee in the DC area. During his Ultimate career he has been to Nationals twice, captained many local teams and is director of April Fools Fest -- one of the longest running Ultimate tournaments in the United States.

In the last few years, I moved away from Ultimate, finally embracing my love of running. I run in a host of local races of varying distances, and I’m currently training for my 5th marathon. Passion for our individual sports and our support of each other allow for a wonderful new dimension to our relationship.

When Rod is competing in an Ultimate tournament, he takes the lead position in our relationship. My role is to support him however I can; I keep stats, run down information about schedules and do whatever I can to allow him to focus on his game and his team. It is thrilling to watch him. He exudes confidence, ability, skill and passion. I feel lucky to get to watch my mate through the eyes of those he plays with and leads, and I feel so proud.

Similarly, when I am running a marathon, I take the lead position. Rod becomes my "Number One Support Team. " He makes sure that I am able to eat, rest and arrive on schedule. He scopes out the course to identify rendezvous points to hand off fresh supplies, and helps me negotiate the finishing area when I am not really up to decisions such as "water or electrolytes?" When I cross the finish line, he is as excited and proud as I am. Our two sports give us a wonderful balance for our relationship, with each one taking a leadership role and each of us getting to support each other in our goals.

Sports will probably always play an important role in our lives. We thrive on the competition, whether against others or our own "Personal Best" time. Knowing we have met the challenge on the field or on the road gives us each the confidence to face challenges in other areas of our lives.

Knowing we have put in the time necessary to give our best has taught us discipline and patience. And making healthy choices, like using Advantig Prosport and supplements during training and competition will ensure we can continue to reap these benefits. The Advantig ProSport System not only helps us have the energy to train, but it helps us to recover so we can go again the next day.

And with so many rewards waiting for us, that’s no small matter.