During the 2015 Ideal Beach Triathlon, one of our participants, Toby Deweese, collapsed suddenly and was tragically pronounced dead by first responders.

Toby was a business partner of Surf Internet and friend of Gene Crusie, one of the race organizers and Chief Executive Officer of Surf Internet. Surf Internet is sponsoring this year’s event to honor DeWeese. “Our entire organization believed that Toby had a warrior’s heart. He took life by the horns and aggressively overcame challenges. He was on his way to regaining fitness by exercising, losing weight and improving his diet” said Crusie.

In honor of who Toby was and what he was trying to do, Surf Internet will present a participant at the 2025 event with the “Toby Deweese - Heart of a Warrior Award.” This award will be given to the participant that most reflects Toby’s personality, character, and ability to overcome adversity. If you or someone you know is competing in the triathlon for the first time or has overcome life challenges to get to the starting line of this year’s event, please nominate them!

Any participant in the 2025 Ideal Beach Triathlon is eligible to be nominated.