Team Waco members thankful for support of team ahead of race

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - The Ironman race is about six months away and this year, there will be a hometown team to root for.

The team is thanks to the Greater Waco Sports Commission, which partnered with local businesses to provide scholarships to six local athletes competing in the race.

Angel Muniz saw the application on Instagram and decided to apply. He thought it would be a great opportunity since he is already a runner, so he was up for the challenge of adding biking and swimming.

Muniz said it was exciting to be chosen for the program and he hopes it will help inspire others to get active.

“It means everything,” Muniz said. “My biggest thing is if I can inspire one person to be active, whether it’s to start running, swimming, or biking or just being more active, my mission was accomplished.”

Cooper Christie said he didn’t know much about the scholarship before applying, but an Ironman has always been on his bucket list.

Christie said as a young kid, he always liked to go to the extremes, even running a marathon at age 10.

He’s been training for a few months now, and Christie said this is a way for him to test himself and see what he can do.

“No matter where you’ve been, and no matter how far you’ve gone down, there’s always hope,” Christie said. “You can always achieve your dreams. So for me, it’s just a matter of putting my body to the test physically and mentally, and then proving to myself that I still have it.”

Both Muniz and Christie said it’s exciting to have a hometown team for the city, and it’s already offered a lot of support for them.

“But I think that’s the most exciting part and just having the community of Waco, the sponsors come behind you and support you,” Muniz said.

“We communicate just about every day and everybody has their own strengths and their own experience,” Christie said. “I think it’s just amazing and the support that they’ve given me, and continue to give me is a blessing.”

There are six athletes total on Team Waco and you can learn about the other team members here and here. You can follow along on each of their journeys on the Greater Waco Sports Commission’s Facebook and Instagram, as well as under #TeamWaco.

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