Marathon Man

How to sketch the physiognomy of
the man friends and acquaintances know
as a triathlete for whom no physical
challenge has ever been a daunting prospect
and who even now has the demeanor and
physique of an athlete bursting with an
abundance of nervous and physical 
energy his wife laughs of in despair
for she lives with the agonizing pain
and suffering while we only see glimpses
of it now and again wondering how it can
be sustained and how it is possible that a
man with such physical resources and
enduring stamina has been left reeling
in the wake of sequential failures of
body parts requiring surgical interventions
therapies, patience and brief intermissions
when relief signals him to address those
beckoning hurdles to break more records
even as his body breaks, a body worn by
a man whose police rapid-response work
failed to satisfy his urges exposing him to
recurring danger, pursuing prowess in
setting standards and outdistancing them.
He is stoic, this man, in his suffering taking
comfort from the concerns expressed by
friends wishing him a swift recovery from
the latest of so many surgeries destined to
restore his failing body for yet another and
another glorious exertion extraordinaire.