2016 Fall Dragon

potlight
“Until the onset of his affliction, Dylan was the most
charming and creative boy. We tried all we could,”
Hunter said. “Mental illness is so hard to understand,
and there is still so much to be done.”
Hunter couldn’t help Dylan, but he’s providing hope
for other families struggling with mental illness.
On May 7, Hunter, along with his good friend Brian
Litke ’04, participated in a Half IRONMAN (also
known as IRONMAN 70.3) in St. George, Utah. The
duo swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles and ran 13.1
miles – with 4,000 feet elevation gain throughout the
course.
The pair undertook this arduous feat to raise awareness
and funds for mental illness and have partnered
with the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation – an
organization that funds cutting edge brain research
to combat mental illness.
“The foundation awards grants to young, mid-career
and senior scientists, with the hope that their
innovative ‘out of the box’ research will lead to
breakthrough advancements and ultimately cures for
mental illness. It’s a really cool concept,” Hunter said.
“We survived the Ironman race. It was an awesome
and incredibly gratifying experience. While the
race itself was a great a feeling, it’s knowing that we
accomplished our goal, raised the funds and created
the awareness for such an important cause that is so
fulfilling. I am super proud of Brian and me,” Hunter
said.
There is a certain social stigma associated with mental
illness, Hunter said. “It’s something people don’t
like to talk about - but I don’t shy away from talking
about it. I want people to think about it,” he said.
Litke said that while Hunter has been more directly
impacted by the effects of mental illness, he’s also
personally dealt with bouts of anxiety – as have others
in his family and close circle of friends.
“Given that fact, I thought this was something worth
pursing,” Litke said. “It was my way of trying to make
a small difference and showing my support for Adrian
who does so much for others.”
The duo came up with the idea to tackle an IRON-
MAN event while bike riding together last year.
They’ve previously participated in triathlons and
half-marathons together. “I knew once Adrian decided
to do it, I would support him 100 percent. The
camaraderie and the cause were too compelling,”
Litke said.
Hunter and Litke raised nearly $17,000 via an e-mail
appeal and a fundraising event that included an auction/raffle
of items such as a baseball bat signed by
the San Francisco Giants, restaurant gift certificates
and wine. “I’m so appreciative of the outpouring of
support,” Hunter said.
In addition to financial support, Hunter’s friends
provided help with training. Accomplished triathlete
Jackson Dovey, who attended Santa Clara University
with Hunter, provided weekly written workouts, while
O’Dowd classmate and physical therapist Michelle
Cotter kept Hunter’s problematic ankle in check.
Hunter had to forgo his invisible hearing aids so that
he could take up swimming again to prepare for the
triathlon. “The invisible ones aren’t removable and
aren’t waterproof,” he explained.
Both young men squeezed in their training around
full-time work commitments. Hunter is a managing
partner at eTRACKER, a mobile app for property
managers, while Litke is an operations manager in
factory planning at Space Systems Loral, a company
that designs and builds satellites and spacecraft
systems for commercial and government customers
around the world.
Fall Magazine 2016 // 43