Pat Gilbert: 1959-1997
KCWoodward
Former professional triathlete and race promoter Patrick Gilbert, 38,
of Santa Cruz, CA, died Friday, Jan. 10, of an apparent suicide. He was
found dead in the Santa Cruz County Jail just hours before he was expected
to be sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for a series of burglaries
directly related to his struggles with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
"It's really a sad, sad case about what drugs to to people,"
Gilbert's attorney, Don Kelly, told the Santa Cruz Sentinel in a story
that appeared today. "He was on top of the world until a couple of years
ago when his world came crashing down."
I've known Pat for close to 15 years and can honestly say that he was
easily the most natural talent of any athlete I have ever known. He was
born to race triathlons, winning the Santa Cruz Sentinel Triathlon three
times and dozens of other races. One year he finished second in the
Sentinel race against a top pro field on just two weeks of training. It
would also be safe to say that he never came close to realizing his
athletic potential.
Gilbert also made his mark in Northern California racing as a race
promoter. Hundreds, if not thousands, of triathletes participated in his
races. He also helped create the highly successful Capitola Junior
Lifeguard program in 1984, and coached swimming and water polo at local
schools.
In recent years, however, Pat's personal demons began taking their
toll. He stopped racing, then stopped promoting, as he bounced from job to
job and between jail and halfway houses. Pat realized he had a problem,
but no matter how many times he tried to pull out of his downward spiral,
he never succeeded.
"It's something that I have to take a serious look at if I'm to
continue to be a person," Gilbert told the Sentinel in a 1993 interview.
"If I'm going to continue to function, I need to operate differently."
Memorial services are pending.
--
Kevin Woodward .................. Producer, Mercury Center, San Jose
Mercury News
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http://www.cruzio.com/~woodward/ ............... 408.476.1023 (h);
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**** Standard disclaimer: Neither I nor the Mercury News speak for the
other ****
KCWoodward
Funeral services for Pat Gilbert, former professional triathlete and race
promoter (Northwind Productions) have been set for 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan.
16 at Chapel of the Four Seasons, 1050 Cayuga St. Santa Cruz, CA.
Contributions are preferred to the American Red Cross or a favorite
charity.
Kevin Woodward .............................. Producer, Mercury Center, San Jose Mercury News
kevinw@cruzio (best) ......... kcwoo...@sjmercury.com ..........KCWoo...@aol.com
http://www.cruzio.com/~woodward ...... (500) 447-7910 (home) ...... (408) 920-5200 (work)
*************** Neither I nor the San Jose Mercury News speak for each other ***************
dr.T
> Mercury News
> kev...@cruzio.com (best) . kwoo...@sjmercury.com . KCWoo...@aol.com
> http://www.cruzio.com/~woodward/ ............... 408.476.1023 (h);
> 408.920.5273 (w)
> **** Standard disclaimer: Neither I nor the Mercury News speak for the
> other ****
Although I did not know Pat Gilbert personally, I had only experienced
a man with a great sense of humor, and a passion for our sport. I had
heard vague rumors of his problems, and he once said to me a couple of
years ago that he wanted to get his act together, and get back to what
he loved doing....organizing and racing triathlons. After he won the
Sandman a few years ago, beating me by about 10 yards, he said to me
"I'm going to comp. your entry next year, and give you a 10 second
handicap"...a perfect example of the sense of humor, respect, and
generousity I recieved from Patrick Gilbert.
Gregg Trent