ENCINITAS, Calif. (BRAIN) — A special Specialized Shiv that motorcycle racer-turned-triathlete Ben Bostrom rode at the Kona Ironman World Championships this year is being auctioned to benefit research related to the condition that may have led to the death of BMXer Dave Mirra, Bostrom's friend and training partner.
Mirra, a BMX Hall of Famer, died last year from suicide. An autopsy determined that he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. CTE is a condition of the brain that most often occurs in boxers and football players who've suffered multiple concussions, and which leads to severe depression, dementia, and other mental health issues.
Mirra and Bostrom had trained together in hopes of qualifying for Kona. After Mirra's death in February this year, Bostrom qualified for Kona with his finish at the Ironman Coeur D'Alene. Specialized created a custom Shiv for Bostrom that features a silhouette of Mirra aboard his bicycle, arms outstretched, along with the words "I'd risk the fall, just to know how it feels to fly."
On Oct. 8, Bostrom finished the Kona event in 10:36.
Bostrom, Specialized, Road 2 Recovery and SRAM have teamed up to offer the bike for raffle, with 100 percent of proceeds going to a yet-to-be-determined CTE research facility in Mirra's name. More information on the raffle available at www.mirrabostromspecializedr2rraffle.com.
