The name for the benefit triathlon came to Trent Stroup while he was running.  Now in its fourth year, “Tri to Help” raises money for the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Hopkins Children’s and offers the athletic and non-athletic alike the opportunity to participate in the fabled pastime of ironmen (and women), but indoors, where the water is always clear and the pathway flat and dry.   

On the advice of a friend, a patent lawyer, Stroup trademarked the name and developed a URL and web site. The most recent Tri to Help Indoor Triathlon for Epilepsy took place in chilly February at Brick Bodies, a fitness club, in Reisterstown, Md., and the Merritt  Athletic Club in Towson, Md. Both sites sold out before it began.  More than 200 children and adults participated in the dual events that featured 10 minutes of swimming in a pool, 30 minutes on a stationary bike and 20 more on the treadmill. Along the way, they raised more than $15,000 for Stroup Kids for Kids Epilepsy Foundation and the Hopkins Pediatric Epilepsy Center, doubling last year’s total.

Among the stalwart athletes that day was Hopkins Children’s neurologist Eric Kossoff, who has cared for the Stroup’s young daughter, Adelyn, since her diagnosis, at 5 months-of-age, with Aicardi Syndrome, a rare disease that causes seizures and developmental delays.

“He has been to every one of our events,” says Stroup. “I had told him years back that I’d like to raise money for him to do research that might help my daughter, and others like her.”

So he and his wife, Tina, came up with the idea of a triathlon to create a fund that Kossoff could use for research and “collaboration with other doctors.”

In the ensuing years, their indoor triathlons and online fundraising have gained traction, says Stroup, director of information systems in Development and Alumni Relations at Johns Hopkins and a former fitness trainer. He has employed his technical chops to develop the Tri to Help online site and its gift processing software, and his savvy and experience as a runner to promote Tri to Help nationwide. He markets via the web and email to running clubs, which in turn send out email blasts notifying their members of upcoming events, and he similarly notifies foundation donors and former participants, posting notices on national triathlon listings, such as www.trifind.com. 

Most participants in the indoor triathlons are first-timers. They like the controlled environment of a gym, he says. For the more hardcore, he adds, they  provide an opportunity to train.

His web site is chock-full of features like YouTube, race results and the ability to create your own web page to help the cause.   This year, Tri to Help triathlons have been held in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, in addition to Maryland. Another is scheduled for Arizona this July.  “We market it to clubs and folks alike as an ‘off-season’ event,” says Stroup. “That’s part of its appeal.”

The concept and cause are attracting sponsors, among them the Baltimore law firm of Venable, Heritage Financial Consultants and McCormick, which signed on for Maryland’s.  Stroup is after even bigger fish. “I’m trying to get on Oprah,” he says. “ She was a big piece of the puzzle.”

A year before Adelyn was born, Stroup’s wife saw a trainer on the Oprah show demonstrate how to use dumb bells. When Stroup was showing her his own training weights, Tina suggested he consider becoming a personal trainer. A year later, a certified trainer and new father,  Stroup offered his new part-time employer, Brick Bodies, to run a triathlon at its club with all the proceeds going to Johns Hopkins. 

As his own venture takes off,  requests to help others who want to set up fundraising web sites are landing on his desk. “We have a lot of people coming to us who are so thankful for the care they or someone they love has received here,” he says, from his office in development and alumni relations at Johns Hopkins. “And like us, they want to give something back.”

 From Tri to Help Web Site:
 “The Johns Hopkins Pediatric Epilepsy Center has been leading the clinical efforts for the comprehensive care of children with epilepsy and their families. Over the years, this outstanding center has had a major impact on the treatment of seizures in children, on major surgeries, and on the overall care of neurologically challenged children.”   

READ MORE about Epilepsy at Hopkins Children's.