A lifelong athlete “;in very good shape,”; Andy Holder was shocked when a life insurance exam showed he had type 1 diabetes at age 36.

Looking back on the last month before the diagnosis in 2005, he was always thirsty—a major symptom—but he was running a lot and always drank a lot of water, “;so it didn't really hit me,”; he said in an interview. “;It came out of nowhere.”;

The Philadelphia athlete, known as “;Iron Andy,”; said he was a little scared and depressed but felt it was “;an opportunity to inspire other people who are struggling with the disease, especially young children and their parents.”;

“;I can't change the diagnosis, but I can change and control my attitude,”; he said.

To prove to himself and others that the disease was not holding him back, he became an Ironman triathlete. He had been running but did not own a bike and did not swim, he said. “;I bought a bike, joined a Y and jumped in the pool and started swimming.”;

He has done three Ironman competitions, swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running a 26.2-mile marathon. He plans to be in Kona in May for a half-triathlon. His goal is to get his time down and qualify for the Ironman World Championship, which he calls “;the icing on the cake.”; He visited Kona during the recent event.

He does not advocate triathlons for everyone, but said he has “;taken an extreme path to show people they can do anything”; with diabetes or another chronic disease.

“;The harder something is, the more rewarding it is,”; he said, adding the hope that this will be a “;life's lesson”; for his sons, 4 and 5 1/2 .

But being an athlete with diabetes has challenges.

“;The way I have to do training and manage my blood sugar is more difficult,”; said Holder, who wears an insulin pump and must frequently test his blood sugar. “;I have to be very diligent and stick to a plan for nutrition and hydration the morning of the race. But the disease changes every day. ... I have to adapt and figure out how to handle the situation.”;

Holder was in Honolulu as part of a national campaign across the country called “;Managing Diabetes: Living Without Limits.”; He is spokesman for the Diabetes Shoppe Program of the Good Neighbor Pharmacy and a topical anti-inflamatory product called ALCIS that athletes use, he said.

The Good Neighbor Pharmacy, operated by the AmerisourceBergen pharmaceutical company, is a network of nearly 2,800 independently owned community pharmacies. Holder said he is promoting “;the role of the independent pharmacists”; because “;they focus on diabetes, providing real patient care, not just filling prescriptions.”;

Holder is setting up an Iron Andy Foundation with funding from corporate sponsors, his race team and others to provide motivation and resources for diabetics who cannot afford insulin pumps or other things needed to manage their disease or to send a child to diabetes camp.

He said he wants to provide comfort and education to newly diagnosed diabetics, especially children: “;They should not have their childhood taken away and have it be different. I hope I can let them know, you can be just like everybody else.”;