Blazing a triathlon trail

Jonathan Blais became Blazeman ''because the special education students I was teaching in San Diego needed a fictitious superhero to give them encouragement."

Blais, who has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease, became ''The Blazeman Warrior Poet" to raise awareness in the fight against the progressive, irreversible, and fatal neurological disease.

He completed last month's Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon to send a message that ''we haven't made any progress against this disease in 70 years. If Lou Gehrig came back to earth, he wouldn't believe that there hasn't been any progress in 70 years, that a diagnosis still equals a death sentence."

''In a triathlon, everyone suffers the same, they just don't all get the same times out of their bodies," said cycling and triathlon analyst Phil Liggett.

However, most who tackle the grueling tripleheader -- 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bicycle course, 26.2-mile marathon run -- figure they can take another attempt at the event if they hadn't finished.

That wasn't the case with Blais, a Seekonk native who was one of the ''stories" NBC followed in covering last month's Hawaiian Ironman for a 90-minute special that will air tomorrow (Channel 7, 4:30 p.m.).

Blais moved to the triathlon mecca of San Diego a decade ago. There, he was a teacher, poet, endurance athlete, philosopher, local character, and, after being diagnosed with ALS, an inspiration.

Last month, he became the first person stricken with ALS to attempt the Hawaiian Ironman.

A crew from NBC followed Blais throughout the competition and made his story one of the recurring themes in tomorrow's coverage. It's reason to hope Notre Dame dispatches Navy (Channel 7, 1 p.m.) tomorrow without going overtime -- Ironman coverage would be trimmed if the game runs long.

Blais was a man on a mission in Hawaii.

''Just say that I was a 10-hour guy finishing in 16 1/2 hours because my body was disintegrating, but this mission didn't allow for failure," Blais said.

Blais tells his story best on his website: alswarriorpoet.com.

''This past winter while teaching and finishing up my master's degree in education, I was diagnosed with ALS. According to the experts, I have a motor neuron disease on board me that they say is going to progressively and relentlessly kill me over the next two to five years.

''The sad thing is that almost 70 years after former baseball legend 'Iron Horse' Lou Gehrig was helped off the field in Yankee Stadium in 1939, there is still no cure nor treatment and only one FDA-approved drug that clinically has done little to nothing. Did you know every 90 minutes a person is diagnosed with ALS? Did you know every 90 minutes someone dies from ALS? The experts will tell you that it strikes only 1 in 50,000 people. I believe that's BS.

''Now with more than 150,000 people stricken across the world yearly, the best your local neurologists can do is hand you a pamphlet."

Of his Ironman effort, he wrote: ''The Blazeman will be Tri-ing for people with ALS. The bottom line is that I am looking for your continued 'Sponsorship' and support before the bulldozer gets me."

Ironman host and narrator Al Trautwig said, ''As much as the story is about 'Blazeman,' it's also watching the pain of his parents [Bob and Mary Ann]. No matter how old he is [Blais is 34], he's still their son. Watching them throughout became very emotional as their attitudes changed. At first, they wanted to tuck him into bed, knowing he's going to die. Then, as the event unfolds, there they are wanting him to finish the race."

Trautwig teared up in doing the voiceover for the telecast this week and had to redo it. ''We're going to listen to both versions," said executive producer Peter Henning, ''then decide which to use."

NBC's Ironman telecasts have won 13 Emmys in 13 years, including two straight for ''Best Edited Sports Special."

''All the elements are there again this year," said Henning. ''The production is as high-end as we've ever done. The graphics, editing, and stories are all top-notch. It has everything. It was a great elite race and all our 'stories' finished."

Now that's a hint.

Long-running film

Dick and Rick Hoyt, two folks who know plenty about dealing with disabilities and endurance events with 24 straight Boston Marathons and the Hawaiian Ironman on their résumés, are the subject of a documentary, ''Rick's Eyes on the Prize: Running with Team Hoyt." It will premiere at Boston College's Yawkey Center Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. The viewing is free and open to the public. It's part of a series by BC filmmakers . . . Former Vermont basketball coach Tom Brennan has joined ESPN as an analyst. ''If it works, I'll be talking to you next year; if not, it's been nice," he said. Looking at BC, Brennan said, ''It's an unbelievable tribute that they've left the Big East and been picked as high as No. 2 in the ACC. It's a tremendous compliment to Al Skinner and his team." . . . Tomorrow's Massachusetts at Army football game is on ESPNU at noon (available locally on satellite and Adelphia systems). The game also is available around the world via American Forces TV Network and, for military families, online at Army Knowledge Online, a password-only website . . . Monday night's Patriots-Colts game did a 14.3 rating nationally, the best for a Monday night game in five years. The game did a 43.8 in Indianapolis and a 25.6 in Boston. Locally, the audience peaked at 33.6 at 10 p.m., dwindling to a 14.4 at midnight . . . T.J. Valentine of Plymouth survived another elimination round and is one of two Team USA golfers left in The Golf Channel's ''Big Break IV: US vs. Europe," which airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. . . . Revolution broadcasters Brad Feldman and Greg Lalas have the radio call of Sunday's Revolution-Galaxy MLS Cup match from Frisco, Texas (Channel 5, WEEI 850, 3:30 p.m.). JP Dellacamera and analyst Eric Wynalda have the ABC call, with Brandi Chastain as the sideline reporter . . . Eight Hockey East games will be televised on five channels over the next nine days. It starts with New Hampshire-Boston University on NESN tonight at 7 and continues with two games at 7 tomorrow: Maine-UNH on New Hampshire public TV (Channel 11) and BU-UMass on CN8. Sunday afternoon's BC-Vermont game is on ESPNU . . . Channel 56 anchor Frank Mallicoat hosts a half-hour special tomorrow at 8 p.m. that takes viewers behind the scenes at the ''Head of the Charles Regatta." . . . Bob Costas has an interview with Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and catches up with Marvin Barnes (he's shed the nickname ''Bad News") on tonight's ''Costas Now" (HBO, 9) . . . The Globe's Jerome Solomon joins former Patriot Tim Fox and host Bob Neumeier to look back at Patriots-Colts and ahead to Patriots-Dolphins tonight on ''Sportsplus" (NESN, 6:30 and 10) . . . Sunday's ''Outside the Lines" (ESPN, 9:30 a.m.) looks back at the Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons brawl, which marks its one-year anniversary Nov. 19 . . . NESN's ''Call to the Hall" special on Cam Neely's NHL Hall of Fame induction airs Sunday at 7 p.m.