EDITOR'S NOTE: The triathlon community of Tucson, Arizona is mourning the loss of Chris Nakamura, a popular and engaging triathlete and lawyer who was killed in a bike crash last month. Nakamura was riding with friend and training partner Travis Carson when they were cut off by a commercial delivery truck making a right turn in front of them in early May, Carson said. Nakamura, riding behind Carson, went for his brakes but apparently wasn't able to stop in time. While Carson's injuries were relatively minor, Nakamura was crushed by the truck and killed instantly, Carson said.

In the weeks since Nakamura's death, two separate memorial services have been held. One in Tucson was attended by some 500 people, from triathletes to lawyers to members of the community groups where Nakamura was a willing and energetic volunteer. Nakamura's family and a large number of friends held the other memorial service in Honolulu, where Nakamura was raised. Carson and his wife recently traveled to the Nakamura's family home in Honolulu to visit Nakamura's final resting place, where they also met all of Nakamura's extended family, including his nine-month old nephew, Riley.

Nakamura took up triathlon roughly three and half years ago at the suggestion of Travis Carson, who worked in a nearby office.

"Travis and Chris' relationship was unique because they served as mentors to each other," Travis Carson's sister, Alison, recalled.

The two quickly became friends and training partners, finishing Ironman USA Lake Placid together last year. Nakamura would later write to Travis Carson that the experience of racing an Ironman had changed his life. In an email to Carson and another close friend, Nakamura wrote: "I found my life because of what you both inspired me to do and compelled me to discover. It's so amazing to me to know right now that I will never forget crossing my first finish line at the UofA, doubting my ability but then pushing through the swim in Mexico, and breaking the tape after 14 hours in Lake Placid. Those moments made me someone new."

It is Travis Carson's eulogy to his friend that we'd like to share here, because we think it speaks to the deep friendships and bonds that are forged between training partners, but also because it speaks to the very spirit of our sport. With the permission of the Carson family, we've excerpted some of it here:

"Just like every one of you here is a better person having known Chris, every triathlete in the world is a better person because Chris became a part of their athletic community. Personally, I cannot even remember the person I was before I met Chris Nakamura and we started training together almost four years ago.

"There are three specific things I think of when I think of my best friend, Chris: Courage, integrity, love.

"Chris was the embodiment of all these attributes well before he became an Ironman, but today let me tell you how he applied these to sport we loved:

"Courage: Chris had the courage to be a beginner. Most people never give themselves permission to be a true beginner, especially when they are as accomplished as Chris was in every other area of his life. Chris allowed himself to learn and grow in an area he knew nothing about for the first 33 years of his life. How many people do you know that have that kind of courage?

"Chris became a tremendous triathlete; he was not a beginner for long. And he had the courage to finish every race he ever started. He and I raced through terrible conditions (windy days, incredible heat, even in the rain), but Chris never faltered. I remember vividly his first half-Ironman two years ago when he walked the last seven miles of the 13.1-mile run with severe leg cramps and then, 200 feet from the finish, he ran through the tape with a huge smile on his face. Again I ask you, how many people do you know that have that kind of courage?

"In short, Chris had the courage to go for it. In three years he went from weekend warrior to an Ironman. That's incredible.

"Integrity: Triathlon is a sport that will not allow you to cheat; in other words, if your training is not there, the clock at your next race will let the world know it. Chris had the integrity to train every day with purpose and desire. ...

"More impressive than this, however, is the fact that Chris had the integrity to balance triathlon with the rest of his wonderful life. ... The integrity he had to not sacrifice any other area of his life (his friends, his family, his civic commitments, his work) but to instead seamlessly add triathlon as a part of his lifestyle, was maybe his most incredible feat. ...

"Love: Chris loved triathlon. He loved the gadgets, and he loved making workout spreadsheets. ...

"Chris especially loved the feeling of finishing a race. We used to talk about how difficult it is to explain why we raced to other people. But we were both sure of one thing: the feeling of finishing a race is unlike anything else in the world. I'd like to think that for Chris it was pure love.

"Finally, Chris loved to use racing as a metaphor for life. Inevitably, something always happens in a triathlon: you get water in your goggles, or a flat tire, or a freaking blister on the run. There is always something. Chris was a master of using those experiences to learn how to better handle adversity in the rest of his life. In reality, adversity only made Chris a better person because he had that unique ability to love a good challenge. He made me want to race better, to handle my life better and to be a better person. What better example of love is there?

"Today, I simply want to say thank you. Thank you, Chris Brian Nakamura, for your courage, integrity and love. You have helped me become a better man, son and husband. I will miss you dearly."