USD Magazine Spring 2010

by Kelly Knufken CLASS  NOTES H [ e n d u r a n c e ]

SWIM, BIKE, RUN, LOVE Tr i athl ons are a metaphor for l i fe for cancer surv i vor

wearing ski boots, yet produces terrible stinging after running. “My feet have taken me a lot of places — 20,000 miles on my bike, many runs,” he says. “Running is tough (on my feet). I have to ice them, and somedays I just can’t run.” On the day after the Los Angeles Triathlon this fall, Dudek kept his upbeat attitude by relying on his high pain threshold and his per- sonal motto of “Never, never quit.” Dudek ‘79, (‘85 M.Ed.), has al- ways felt a deep faith connected to athleticism, particularly as a football player at USD.

e started running at age 6 and never quit. In the years since, J.D. Dudek has

“The university grounded me,” he says. “I didn’t know anybody at USD. But I walked into The Immac- ulata, and I felt that touch of faith.” Dudek exudes energy and passion. Maybe it’s due to cheat- ing death, but you get the feel- ing he had this intensity even before that. “It’s not my A.D.D., it’s J.D.D.,” he quips. “No, I’m just happy to be on the planet, man.” Dudek once was the lender on big, splashy downtown high-ris- es, but his Western Mission Mortgage in Coronado employs

built himself into an elite athlete who’s done 137 triathlons. He’s competed in 42 events—swims, triathlons andmarathons— just in the last six years. Not that beating cancer has made running any easier. The chemotherapy and radia- tion treatments Dudek received after he was struck with leukemia six years ago left himwith periph- eral neuropathy, a nerve disease that makes his feet feel like he’s

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USD MAGAZINE