Faith leaders team up for triathlon to support mental health

On Sunday, June 28, Chaz Howard will kick off the triathlon with a 1,500-meter (slightly less than a mile) swim. Josh Bolton will keep spirits high with a 24.8-mile bike ride. Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad will bring the team home with a 6.2-mile run.

The three friends and colleagues at Penn, who just happen to be a Christian minister, Jewish rabbi, and Muslim chaplain, respectively, are teaming up for the upcoming Philadelphia Tri-Rock Triathlon. They are competing relay-style in the race.

“For a number of reasons, we are going to be standing out in a crowd of spandex,” Bolton says. “I hope we distinguish ourselves for the spirit we bring to the race.”

The trio is raising awareness and funds for three different organizations that address mental health and wellness: Service Space, Philadelphia Jewish Family and Children’s Services, and Muslim Wellness Foundation. Their fundraising goal is $3,000—$1,000 of which will go to each organization.

“It’s the perfect opportunity for us to engage in interfaith and work in a new, fun, and exciting way,” says Rashad, Penn’s interfaith fellow. “We’re using this platform to talk about mental health, which is not often talked about publicly. We’re all on a personal journey for wellness, and we want our communities to join in on this conversation with us.”

Howard, the University’s chaplain, says one of the gifts of doing ministry at Penn is that it’s “such a cosmopolitan place.”

“You meet people from all over the country, from all different faith traditions,” he says. “So many different religions are represented at Penn. It’s a beautiful thing when people from different traditions can come together for a good cause.”

It will be Rashad and Bolton’s first race of the like; Howard has competed in triathlons in the past. All three are training in their own, different ways—some less than others.

“I went and started training about three months ago,” Rashad says. “I lost about 25 pounds. I also did a six-week herbal cleanse.” Bolton admits, with a laugh, that he’s been, “upping his intake of pizza and beer.”

Rashad and Howard have been friends for years. The pair graduated with their bachelor’s degrees from Penn in 2000.

Rashad recalls a picture of the duo from graduation. “Now we’re talking about our kids,” she says.

Bolton, who’s gotten to know Howard and Rashad well over the years, says he has a “great admiration for them both.”

“For me, I’m the junior member of this team in a number of ways,” Bolton says. “Both in age as well as in, I would say, the scale of the work that they are up to. I have respect for both of them. When Chaz called and asked if I wanted to do the triathlon, I felt grateful.”

Bolton says he hopes their efforts to work together can inspire the community.

“I hope that other teams like it can emerge,” he says. “I hope next year, we will have a few more of these teams coming forth.”

Triathlon