Craig Jackson

Born April, 1955. Raised in southeast Texas and have spent my adult life in Oklahoma.

Stuff I’m Proud Of:

  • -Through the grace of God, My Family, and My Friends, I am a cancer survivor.

  • -My wife and three wonderful children - Lorraine, Linzey, Lauren, and Collin. To say that I have been blessed is an understatement.

  • -I’ve completed twenty marathons including two Boston Marathons and a 50 mile Ultra-Marathon.

  • -I am a licensed single-engine private pilot and even sky dive to experience what it feels like to jump out of a perfectly working airplane. I’m also a certified scuba diver

  • -Eleven months after my successful prostate cancer surgery in 2010, I was able to finish a Full Ironman distance triathlon (140.6 miles) in 14 hr 34 minutes. My family was there at the finish line to celebrate with me. I dedicated that race to cancer survivors.

What I do:

-Besides being a dad and a husband with an amazing family, I’m a retired Electrical Engineer/Information Technology Consultant and able to pursue my dreams and adventures with my family. I strive to continue to create new learning opportunities and new experiences that test my limits and seek opportunities to help others in my community.

What excites me:

- I love being outdoors under a wide open sky with the wind and sun in my face. I have a long list of hobbies that I love intensely. Being a triathlete seems to always keep me engaged in various stages of training whether its swimming, biking, or running. I also make time for photography, woodworking, adventure backpacking, kayaking, and a few other activities when time is available. You know, the usual stuff.

Random Tidbit #1: I am associated with a special group of guys (6) who have hiked together over 500 miles in the Grand Canyon. On two occasions, we assisted in the helicopter rescue of hikers who were in distress and needed medical attention.

Random Tidbit #2: The last fifteen years of running and biking have been interesting with regard to wear and tear on my body as I've fractured my left leg, my right collar bone, two ribs, and a concussion or two in various accidents and crashes. In one of those crashes that involved a brick mailbox, I broke a really nice bike into two pieces and had my first rescue by fire department EMTs. Ambulance rides are not comfortable. During the last couple of years, I have endured through two achilles surgeries and have worked really hard to return to triathlons. After the fall 2018 Tulsa Route 66 Half Marathon, I had my second rescue by fire department EMTs at the finish line. I'm getting to really like these EMT folks. (I still managed a respectable finish time for the race but missed watching my three children finish. My bad!).

My Most Successful Failure: It’s important to learn from our failures and not hide them away in a corner. In a recent Dirty Kanza 200 Gravel Race, I rode my bike 131 miles before collapsing on the side of the road. I learned that I should listen to my body and to listen to my teammate trying to convince me to stop riding.

An opportunity like RAAM represents the nexus of my love of Endurance challenges and comradery among a focused team to make a substantive difference in people’s lives regarding mental illness awareness.