Johan - The Ironman - Visser. Businessman and Triathlete. Triathlon Mentor and Leader. Friend and Colleague. A ten time Ironman, with finishes in California, Canada, New York, Florida, Japan, Germany, and twice at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. Johan holds age-group awards and age-group records in many, many triathlons, including The Great Floridian Triathlon. Johan's hard work ethic and training regimen set new standards and showed the way for many of us. His advice and guidance have helped beginners and experienced alike. Five thousand miles a year on the bike was not unusual for Johan. He qualifed for and ran the Boston Marathon in 1997 at the age of sixty-one. We saw and still see in Johan inspiration for the possibilities for life-long competition and high levels of fitness.

So it was that, after so much work and dedication, in athletics and in business, cancer came as a harsh reality. In January of 2001, at the age of sixty-four, following a long summer of struggle and difficulty, Johan was diagnosed with brain cancer in its most aggressive and incurable form. He fought as hard and as valiantly as it is possible to do, but ultimately the cancer triumphed. This triathlon, Johan's TriFest, is part of Johan's legacy and is meant to be a festival to celebrate life while we are able. It also is meant to raise money for the Hospice of Michigan and the Van Andel Institute's Hope on the Hill Foundation which is dedicated to cancer research in the hope that someday this cancer may be cured. But, most of all, it is meant to be a tribute to Johan Visser and to his life which came to an end on January 19, 2002.