MILTON, Ga. — Pizza and athletics may seem like an odd combination, but it’s exactly what inspired Jeff Dunn to pursue a pie in the sky dream, or two.

“One of my big passions in life is making and eating pizza,” says Jeff. “I have been perfecting this craft since I was a small child and a few years back I built my dream pizzeria oven in my backyard. The grand opening of my “Fire-Pie” was a roaring success. We opened the doors and would shut down when we ran out of dough or sipped the last drop of wine!”

With good food, good wine, naturally comes a few unwanted pounds. As his 50th birthday crept closer, Jeff found his waistline expanding as well his cholesterol rising.

“Having a young family with two beautiful girls, I wanted to put myself in the best position to live a long life. It also wouldn’t hurt to get in better shape to fight off the young men who will be eventually knocking down our doors as our girls get older,” joked Jeff.

Growing up with a huge sense of adventure, Jeff played multiple sports and loved basically anything outdoors. Shuttling his girls to competitive cheer several days a week, Jeff found his time in the gym was no longer cutting it and he needed something extreme.

Always up for a new adventure, Jeff signed up for his first Ironman race. For nearly twelve months straight, he woke at 4:30 am almost every morning and trained before heading to work as an E & S insurance broker. 

“The first year of the sport is the most fun but also the toughest since once you sign up for this “big event”, it becomes all-encompassing,” says Jeff. 

“All of my friends wanted ‘old Jeff Dunn’ back versus this new boring Triathlete. The good news is that eventually they will give in and accept the fact that this is something you do and your life will eventually balance back out!”

Not for the faint-hearted, the Ironman is considered the top tier of endurance in triathlons. First, you swim for 2.4 miles in a lake or river. Then it’s a 112-mile bike ride. And if that’s not enough, strap on your running shoes for a full 26.2-mile marathon to finish it all off. Jeff’s first Ironman was also the first marathon he had ever run!

“When you complete a challenge such as an Ironman, the benefits will spill over to all other areas in your life,” says Jeff. “I think confidence is best gained by pursuing the unknown without guarantees of certainty since that builds true grit and character.  One of my favorite quotes is from Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it…the hard is what makes it great.”

Jeff and his wife Jill, and two girls, Kendall (12) and Katelynn (9) have made their home in Milton for the past 15 years. Jeff calls the town a little slice of heaven with all of the horse farms and feels lucky to raise his family here.

When he’s not training, you can find the Dunns enjoying the great outdoors whether it’s paddle boating on Lake Lanier, a round of golf at White Columns, skilling at their favorite winter destination, Deer Valley in Utah, or surfing on St. Augustine beach in Florida.

After burning over 6,000 calories in an Ironman race, Jeff is back to enjoying an occasional slice of pizza, at home or at the family favorite, The Standard in downtown Roswell.

After a few close calls on the streets of Milton, Jeff has now transitioned to off-road triathlons and trail running events, often accompanied by his favorite running partner, yellow lab, Daisy.

“At the ripe age of 50, I have found a real passion for endurance sports and competing with kids half my age,” says Jeff. I never imagined that you can become an athlete this late in life and it was a real game-changer for me.”

“One of the cool things about these races is that they mark your age on your right calf so as you pass people during these races you know their age,” says Jeff. “During my last race, I got smoked by a guy on a bike with a ’75’ marked on his calf (25 years older than me)….  my goal is to be that guy someday!”   

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