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Irish Alums Race To Remember Schwapp
he San Francisco race includes a 1.5-mile swim through icy water, an 18-mile bike ride and an eight-mile run. Anello roped Sharpley into joining him nine months ago when he explained that he wanted to use the raise as a fundraiser in honor of former Notre Dame fullback Asaph Schwapp.
“I said yes right away without thinking,” Sharpley said. “It was probably a good thing I didn’t think. If had done a little more research and understood what it entailed I might have been a little more hesitant.”
Schwapp died last spring after battling non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for more than a year. The 260-pound fullback was the strongest player in the Notre Dame locker room and was universally loved by everyone in it, according to his teammates. When Anello learned that his friend had passed away, he immediately set out to find ways to memorialize him.
The former special teams standout has participated in each of the last two annual Alcatraz triathlons. He runs to raise money for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a charity that aids research to cure childhood cancer. He first started working with the group as a student at Notre Dame and has since started fundraiser events for the cause in Boston, San Francisco and Chicago. He decided to put together a team to raise money in Schwapp’s name this year.
The initial goal was to raise $44,000 because Schwapp wore No. 44 when he played for the Irish. With the race and one more event in Chicago remaining on their schedule, Anello said the group has already brought in more than $60,000.
“It usually takes a bunch of emails and reaching out to folks,” Anello said. “I sent one email just telling the story about what I was doing this year and why I was doing it. I went from 0 to $15,000 in 24 hours.”
Anello said many of the donations and replies have come with stories about Schwapp and the impact he had on others at Notre Dame and elsewhere. He said after six years of never bringing in much more than $15,000 annually he was overwhelmed by the response. The race event also has brought in more than $30,000.
“Every person has told me when you talked to Ace you felt like you were the only person in the room,” Anello said. “The kid had the biggest heart. He was an absolute monster, so if you didn’t know him you’d be scared and intimidated. But spend five minutes talking to him and you realize how soft and warm-hearted he was.”
Sharpley was part of the same recruiting class as Schwapp, which he said made the decision to join Anello in San Francisco an easy one. The former quarterback is now a fitness trainer in the South Bend area. He said he is always looking for ways to remain competitive now that his football career is over.
Working as a personal trainer has kept Sharpley in good shape, but starting his own business has made it tough to find time to swim and bike as often as he would like to prepare.
“It was tough to really carve out that needed time,” Sharpley said. “Talking with Mike, he always feels a little underprepared. He probably will know what to expect. I’m going into a complete unknown. I think I have the most anxiety about the swim. Once I get past that I think mentally for sure it will be a lot lifted off my shoulder.”
Anello, who lives and works in Portland, Ore., for the time being, typically competes in sprint triathlons, a slightly shorter version of the swim, bike, run combination. He knows what to expect this Sunday during the race, but says that won’t make it any easier to finish.
“This is my third year doing this,” he said. “The one thing I do have is experience on my side, but no matter how much experience you have the water is still freezing and the hills are still tall.”
he San Francisco race includes a 1.5-mile swim through icy water, an 18-mile bike ride and an eight-mile run. Anello roped Sharpley into joining him nine months ago when he explained that he wanted to use the raise as a fundraiser in honor of former Notre Dame fullback Asaph Schwapp.
“I said yes right away without thinking,” Sharpley said. “It was probably a good thing I didn’t think. If had done a little more research and understood what it entailed I might have been a little more hesitant.”
Schwapp died last spring after battling non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for more than a year. The 260-pound fullback was the strongest player in the Notre Dame locker room and was universally loved by everyone in it, according to his teammates. When Anello learned that his friend had passed away, he immediately set out to find ways to memorialize him.
The former special teams standout has participated in each of the last two annual Alcatraz triathlons. He runs to raise money for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a charity that aids research to cure childhood cancer. He first started working with the group as a student at Notre Dame and has since started fundraiser events for the cause in Boston, San Francisco and Chicago. He decided to put together a team to raise money in Schwapp’s name this year.
The initial goal was to raise $44,000 because Schwapp wore No. 44 when he played for the Irish. With the race and one more event in Chicago remaining on their schedule, Anello said the group has already brought in more than $60,000.
“It usually takes a bunch of emails and reaching out to folks,” Anello said. “I sent one email just telling the story about what I was doing this year and why I was doing it. I went from 0 to $15,000 in 24 hours.”
Anello said many of the donations and replies have come with stories about Schwapp and the impact he had on others at Notre Dame and elsewhere. He said after six years of never bringing in much more than $15,000 annually he was overwhelmed by the response. The race event also has brought in more than $30,000.
“Every person has told me when you talked to Ace you felt like you were the only person in the room,” Anello said. “The kid had the biggest heart. He was an absolute monster, so if you didn’t know him you’d be scared and intimidated. But spend five minutes talking to him and you realize how soft and warm-hearted he was.”
Sharpley was part of the same recruiting class as Schwapp, which he said made the decision to join Anello in San Francisco an easy one. The former quarterback is now a fitness trainer in the South Bend area. He said he is always looking for ways to remain competitive now that his football career is over.
Working as a personal trainer has kept Sharpley in good shape, but starting his own business has made it tough to find time to swim and bike as often as he would like to prepare.
“It was tough to really carve out that needed time,” Sharpley said. “Talking with Mike, he always feels a little underprepared. He probably will know what to expect. I’m going into a complete unknown. I think I have the most anxiety about the swim. Once I get past that I think mentally for sure it will be a lot lifted off my shoulder.”
Anello, who lives and works in Portland, Ore., for the time being, typically competes in sprint triathlons, a slightly shorter version of the swim, bike, run combination. He knows what to expect this Sunday during the race, but says that won’t make it any easier to finish.
“This is my third year doing this,” he said. “The one thing I do have is experience on my side, but no matter how much experience you have the water is still freezing and the hills are still tall.”
