Honoring Brent McLarty
This Wednesday, there will be a worldwide ride at the same time, done in silence to remember cyclists who have been hit and killed and to bring awareness to the fact that cyclists have a right to the road. Of all the people who will take part in the May 15 Ride of Silence, the ones who bring the deepest feelings are the relatives and friends of those who have died while riding their bikes – doing something they loved deeply and passionately.
Professional triathlete and former NCAA All-American swimmer Sara McLarty lost her father Brent McLarty on August 24, 2011 when he was struck and killed by a van while riding the roads near the McLarty home in DeLand, Florida. Sara and her mother Karen and brother Dustin all miss their amazing father immensely. He was a sky diving expert, a furniture craftsman, an enthusiastic cyclist, but most of all he and his wife Karen were loving and enthusiastic parents who encouraged and supported Sara and Dustin to great success as NCAA swimmers at the University of Florida and as professional triathletes. But most strikingly, Sara and Dustin reflect their father’s influence as a strong individualist, hard worker, with a great love of adventure and a heart always ready to lend a hand to those who needed it.
Slowtwitch: Tell us a little about your dad.
Sara McLarty: He was born in Glendale, California on January 12, 1949. His father Mac McLarty was in the service and worked as an engineer until he retired. His mother Jane was a stay at home mom who took care of older brother Jerry, who lives in Arizona, sister Jan, who lives in Florida, and dad, who was the youngest.
ST: What sports did he love growing up and why? And what was he good at?
Sara: Dad was an active kid. He had a quick understanding of mechanics and motors. He was active in Boy Scouts and took to skydiving and piloting. In the 1970s, he lived in California and was part of a 4-way formation skydiving national championship team. He moved to DeLand, Florida to jump and fly at Skydive DeLand and met my mom Karen there.
ST: What were some of his experiences growing up that shaped his character?
Sara: The family did a lot of camping which led to his love of the outdoors and adventure. His dad taught him a lot of hands-on engineering. Mac also flew radio controlled airplanes which led to his interest of piloting.
ST: You mention the place you grew up as Ol’ McLarty’s Farm. Was it an actual farm with crops and livestock?
Sara: Ol'McLarty's Farm is just the fun name for the 20 acres that I grew up on. Mom and Dad bought it in the late ‘70s because it was 2 miles from the airport and Skydive Deland. They turned it into a beautiful piece of property with the main house, which they built by hand, and a large shop where they ran their custom woodworking business. They also had cow and horse pastures, a chicken coop, citrus and fruit trees, a large pond and lots of natural land for the wildlife to enjoy.
ST: Did your dad go to college? Did he play sports there?
Sara: He received an AA degree from Glendale Community College. No NCAA sports. And he didn't get into cycling until we as a family embraced triathlon. But he never did a triathlon because he never really learned how to swim, and didn't take to running other than to chase us around the race course with a video camera.
ST: How did he meet your mother?
Sara: Mom moved to DeLand from the Miami area to jump at Skydive DeLand. They met at the drop zone.
ST: What drew them together?
Sara: I had to ask my mom this one. She says, ‘We were similar. We liked the same things. We were the same kind of people. We like to party, but not too much. We appreciated hard work.’
ST: What was the culture like when they grew into adulthood?
Sara: They were both very much free spirits. The skydiving community was and still is a wild and active lifestyle. They enjoyed a self-sufficient lifestyle on the farm.
ST: In addition to sports, did he have a particular love of music?
Sara: Nope, not musical. More like mechanical. Loved to know/learn/figure out how things work. Spent his life building things with his hands, improving things, fixing things. He had a thirst for knowledge.
ST: As he became an adult, what would you say was the key to his character?
Sara: My mom says, ‘His character was strong and giving. He was a strong man, mentally and physically. And he enjoyed giving to people that needed anything. He never had anything negative to say, very non-judgmental. Always found the best in people.’
ST: When did he and your mother discover triathlon?
Sara: Mom did her first triathlon in 1989, in DeLand. We were hooked after that! I did my first race in 1990, Dustin not long after that (at age 5 — they lied about his age!) Dad never did a triathlon, although he attended hundreds! We got him into a couple relays (cyclist) with family or friends. But he was our driver/mechanic/cheering squad/camera crew.
ST: When you and Dustin were growing up, what sports did your parents encourage?
Sara: Dustin and I did T-ball, tennis, soccer, gymnastics, dance, motocross, swimming, cross country, track, triathlon — and just running around the farm being active.
ST: How much did he get you and Dustin to help on the farm?
Sara: Mom and Dad ran their custom woodworking business (Precision Operations) out of the shop on the property. They built beautiful shutters, cabinets, staircases, furniture, etc. We did a bit of work growing up to learn the value of time and money. But Dustin and I mostly focused on school, sports, and having fun.
ST: How did his obviously strong work ethic rub off on you and Dustin?
Sara: Both parents had an amazing work ethic. To this day I can't keep up with my mother! I think their work ethic rubbed off greatly. Dustin and I both competed at NCAA Division 1 swimming while getting our degrees. We both had many extracurricular things going on during college. And now we are both professional triathletes while managing graduate school. Dustin graduates as a PhD in June, and I have my coaching and writing.
ST: While they did grow some crops and raise some animals, it seems that they weren’t in it as a business. What was the goal of the farm?
Sara: Their "farm" goal was to be a self-sufficient family. My mother designed a "green" house far ahead of its time. We raised cows (never more than 3 at a time) for our own beef consumption, chickens for eggs, and every year we would have some kind of small garden growing in the back. It taught Dustin and I the real value and origin of food. Our cows had names, we feed the chickens scraps and they gave us eggs. We knew that potatoes came out of the ground and corn grows on stalks. The farm raised two children who understood and appreciated the earth.
ST: Where did you and Dustin get your championship athletic ability?
Sara: The athleticism comes from my mom's side of the family. Swimming goes back 4 generations. Karen was a nationally-ranked water polo player in high school. Her mother Cynthia Bruce was a nationally ranked swimmer and tennis player. My great aunt, June Krauser, was a founding member of US Masters Swimming.
ST: How much did they support your athletics – and how much room did they give you to embrace it yourself?
Sara: Athletics was a part of our family. Most of our childhood revolved around swimming and triathlon – in a VERY positive way. We traveled to races, camped and vacationed before and after. We did everything as a family. Mom drove us to swim practice, but then she swam swim practice with us. Dad would bike with me or Dustin to and from school. Mom was our coach, Dad was our cheerleader. They understood that we loved to compete and win so they encouraged and pushed us to train and practice hard. They taught us both that results don't happen without lots of hard work.
ST: How did your dad and mom express their pride at your swimming and triathlon?
Sara: They came to every meet and race! They were the loudest and most energetic parents on the sidelines. Good thing the University of Florida, where Dustin and I both swam, was just 2 hours away! Dad was thrilled to have two college graduates. He might not have gone to school at the University of Florida, but he was a Gator just from how much pride he had in us!
ST: What most memorable advice did he offer you in life or sports?
Sara: One of the last emails I got from him was a response to me hemming and hawing about continuing as a pro triathlete. He wrote back something like ‘Shit or get off the pot.’ Short and to the point — but exactly what I needed to hear.
ST: In our conversations, I got the idea that your dad and mom were strong individualists. Some might call them countercultural? How would you describe them?
Sara: Wow, you are an astute observationist! My mom laughed at the question and completely agrees with you. She says, ‘We were never afraid to put in a hard day's work. That made us feel good.’ Yes, I would also call them countercultural although I've never heard the word. It seems to fit perfectly. My dad had a strong attitude that translated to: ‘I don't need help, I can figure it out myself.’ They are both from the hippie generation and are very strong free-spirits and extremely hard-workers. And from that attitude, I've learned quite a bit of useful things that allow me to survive without needing help. Although, I would still always call my dad for help or advice, that's one of the biggest things that I miss. For example, he was my original Garmin. I would be lost, so I would just call home, and he would navigate me to where I was trying to go.
ST: How much did your dad enjoy training?
Sara: Since he was never a swimmer or a runner, as we grew up, Dad took to the cycling side of the sport. He always had a crappier bike then Dustin and I but he would upgrade ‘When I can't keep up with you kids anymore.’ Finally, when we went off to college, he splurged on himself with a custom blue and orange (Gator colors) Trek Madone. He absolutely LOVED to ride and became a very fit and strong 60 year-old man by cycling almost every day. He created a Wednesday night group ride that started from the airport. But he was more a helper and supporter than a competitor. He wasn't driven to be competitive. He just enjoyed helping mom, me, and Dustin who were competing. He made sure our bikes were tuned up and fast.
ST: Did your dad get involved with clubs or coaching young athletes?
Sara: Nope, he was never out front and in the public eye. He was quiet and reserved and usually in the background.
ST: If it comes to mind, what was the funniest thing that ever happened to your dad in an athletic endeavor?
Sara: He signed up for a record setting 100-person skydive and participated in 10 of the practice jumps. On the last jump, one of the plane pilots got sick and Brent was the only available qualified person to fly the plane. Without a pilot, the record-setting jump couldn't be made. So he goes and flies the plane and my mom takes his spot in the formation and that next jump was the record-setting jump!
ST: When you heard about your dad’s accident, where were you?
Sara: The morning of August 24, I went out for a bike workout with Lauren Goss, who was my roommate at the time. I was preparing for Hy-Vee and doing 10K intervals. I was flying and set PB times each time. I came home on a complete high that my training was right on track! I showered and was making some post-training food when my phone rang. It was my mom and she delivered the news immediately. I remember being very hysterical on the phone and Lauren picked up what had happened and called Misty Becerra (my best friend who lost her father 2 years earlier in a work accident).
ST: What was the last time you saw him and what were you doing? What were you talking about?
Sara: The accident was on Wednesday. The previous weekend Misty and I visited my parents at the farm because my Dad had just returned from 3 months in Norway where he was flying skydivers at a drop zone near Oslo. During my short, weekend visit, I remember just hanging out and enjoying being around my Dad. He was busy fixing things that had broken on the farm while he was away (my Mom had built up quite a Honey-Do-List in those 3 months). I helped when I could and enjoyed listening to his stories from Norway.
ST: What were some of the very best things that were done and said at his memorial service?
Sara: We had a very special memorial for my Dad. On Thursday, we announced on Facebook that we would have a memorial bike ride 10 miles out and back on our street on Saturday morning. I would estimate that 150-200 people showed up from all over Central Florida. A majority of the triathletes from Clermont that knew me, many from the Orlando area that knew Dad from group rides, and everyone from our hometown. After the ride, about 75-80 people stayed to have a circle memorial (popular in the skydiving world). We all stood in a big circle in the yard and anyone who felt like sharing a story or a memory or say something would walk into the middle and speak to the crowd. It was amazing. I heard so many stories that I hadn't ever heard from Dad's longtime friends. We had quite a few laughs, tears, and hugs. Later that year, my family and a few close friends took my dad's ashes to the Grand Canyon and sent him down the Colorado River one last time. The Grand Canyon was my Dad's favorite place — he had taken 10-plus 8-day river trips as an assistant guide.
ST: As time went on, what are your most common thoughts of your dad?
Sara: Just how much I miss him. I'll need an answer, or help, and think, ‘Oh, Dad will know that." But then I realize that I can't call him. So, now, I just have to solve the problem myself and think how proud he would be of me! On the other hand, I'm most sad for my Mom who has lost her Superman. She was 17 when they met and they were more in love each day. Her entire future was planned out with him. They had plans to retire, sell the farm, buy a sailboat and sail around the world, but now she has to make plans by herself. Also for my brother who inherited Brent's skill for engineering and how things work. He is graduating with a PhD from UC Irvine on June 8th. I can just imagine how unbelievably proud my dad would be when Dustin gets his hood!
ST: What has changed since he has been gone?
Sara: My mom was affected the most. It is fortunate that both my brother and I were grown adults and successfully living in the real world when we lost our father. Many children don't even get those 25 amazing years. Last week, we announced that the McLarty Farm is up for sale. My mother cannot take care of it herself — it's a 24/7 job just to keep everything working. She has plans to move to Clermont to be close to family (me) and enjoy the great outdoor atmosphere that our town has.
ST: Now you are having a Ride of Silence on May 15. What is it all about and how many folks are you expecting?
Sara: The Ride of Silence is in its 10th year. It was started in 2003 by the friend of a cyclist killed in Texas. It is a worldwide ride at the same time on the same day, all done in silence to remember those that have been hit and killed and to bring awareness to the fact that cyclists have a right to the road and our lives depend on the awareness of drivers. With 2 weeks of planning, we had 175-200 people attend last year. With a little more planning this year, we hope to have the same number or more. The organization of our Clermont ride is shared with Lacey Nickel who lost her father in 2010. He was riding to Clermont to participate in the Horrible 100 Century Ride when he was hit and killed.
ST: What will this ride mean for you?
Sara: This ride is a way for us to get a bit of publicity and education out to people who drive cars. We have spread the word to some of the local news stations with the hope that they will cover it and viewers might learn that cyclists have a right to the road in Florida. We also have a law that you must give us 3 feet of space when you pass. The ride is also a way to remember my dad, because I can't go on a ride with him any more!
More about the Ride of Silence can be found at rideofsilence.org
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