Racing for a 'warrior'

SANDUSKY — Tyler Beckman won't race this year's Ironman alone; he will have his "warrior" grandma supporting him from above. Despite his lack of experience in all three events, Tyler — who's a 22-year-old from New Albany in the Columbus area — is determined to honor his grandma, Tracey Beckman, through every mile of this year's triathlon. Tyler lost his grandma to cancer earlier this year. Before committing to racing, Tyler said he had always wanted to compete in an Ironman. He stepped away from club football and searched for a new athletic challenge. His friend, Corey Adams, has documented his training journey on social media. His growth convinced Tyler to take on this challenge. When Tyler began his training, he started from zero. He had no background in running, swimming or biking. He would do 25 yards in the water, run a few miles and practice cycling indoors. Now, five months later, he loves to see his growth. He said during his peak training weeks, when he started his day at 5 a.m. to train before work, he was never upset or dreading it. Like she'll do from above for his upcoming race, Tracey had always supported Tyler in his athletics. "She would always attend all my football games with this piercingly loud whistle," Tyler said. "She was always down to have fun, cracking jokes, trying to make every moment one to remember. Their bond came long before her loud support for him on the field. Growing up, Tyler would spend his weekends traveling from Columbus to Cincinnati to spend the weekend at her house while his parents worked. "It was always a blast," Tyler said. "She always had fun games and activities planned every weekend. And this went on for years throughout my early childhood." In 2024, when Tyler was a freshman in college and Tracey was 70, the family learned of her illness. He said his grandma complained of a headache for a few weeks. After going to the doctor, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Tracey was given a few months to live due to how aggressive the tumor was, but she went on for two more years. She passed at 72. "It was difficult, but man, she was an absolute warrior," Tyler said. Through her time managing the disease, Tyler said he never saw his grandma upset. Even when she took turns for the worse, he said his grandma continued to make jokes and smile. When he visited her while she went through aggressive chemotherapy, "she'd be all smiles" while showing off her new wigs. She also began giving out small rubber ducks. Tyler said this was her way of building connections and making people smile. The attitude Tracey and his grandfather, Dave Beckman, had through the diagnosis is an inspiration to him, according to Tyler. "I'm racing for her because of the kind of person she is and the kind of fight she had," Tyler said. "She was a devout Christian her entire life and I know how difficult this is going to be for me, but I know she's going to be looking down on me the entire time, cheering, and helping me through it."