Eric McElvenny

WARSAW — On April 14 the Kosciusko Community YMCA will host its second annual Good Friday Breakfast. The event will be held at Christ’s Covenant Church, 2090 East Pierceton Road, Winona Lake.

The featured keynote speaker at the event is Eric “Mac” McElvenny, an endurance athlete from San Diego, Calif. McElvenny is a Marine Corps veteran and amputee triathlete.

McElvenny earned a mechanical engineering degree from the United States Naval Academy while preparing for his service as a Marine Corps infantry officer. He deployed three times as a Marine. McElvenny lost his right leg after stepping on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan while serving as a Marine Corps captain. This triggered an explosion under his right foot.

McElvenny described his ordeal as, “A rollercoaster of emotions,” and a loss of identity, stating that one minute he was a strong, healthy, confident Marine leader and the next moment he was lying on his back in need of help, unsure if he was even going to live.

Although McElvenny reported receiving a lot of support while in the hospital, it was an email from his commanding officer in Afghanistan that helped spur his recovery. The commanding officer emailed McElvenny asking when he would be running his first marathon. McElvenny decided that not only was he going to take his commanding officer up on that challenge, but he was going to top it: McElvenny made the decision to participate in an Ironman triathlon.

McElvenny’s best friend, Adam Zyski, helps manage and schedule his speaking engagements. Zyski states that McElvenny always had an incomparable work ethic and a “never quit” mentality, whether it was in the classroom or on the ball field.

According to McElvenny, “Going big was part of who I was and part of what was going to help me recover. It’s important to set your goals high.”

Zyski describes McElvenny as having a positive energy and uplifting personality.

“He’s the guy that you hope RSVP’s to your party because you know that everyone else will show up once they find out Mac is going to be there,” states Zyski.

* Registration is required for this event. Tickets are no longer available.