Duane F.

At 60, athlete, fitness consultant and endurance coach Duane Franks has finished more than 300 triathalons, including 15 Ironman races, each consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile marathon.

He’s competed in the grueling three-day, 320 mile Hawaii Ultraman World Championship five times -- an invitation-only event that involves a 6.2 mile ocean swim, bike rides climbing 6,000 vertical feet, a double marathon. But as it turns out one of his toughest opponents has been the sun.

Though the majority of Franks’ time with clients is in the gym, he still spent very intensive hours outdoors swimming laps in the pool or open water, running trails and cycling on the road, and he admits that historically he hasn’t taken the sun very seriously.

“I eat a proper diet, exercise and get plenty of sleep - I do more of the right things than the average person, but I was out in the sun. I figured I would have skin damage from all my time in the sun - but not cancer.” He didn’t use sun block or sleeves -- “your typical ‘skin cancer is not going to impact me’ denial. I was indifferent.”

Franks’ wife, a former aesthetician as well as a sponsored triathalete and trainer, would always remind him to protect his skin. “She would always get free products, and encourage me to use them. But most felt greasy or heavy,” he says. But he eventually found some that worked and realizes that products have improved a lot over time.

What was your skin cancer diagnosis?

“Several years ago, I noticed what looked like a dark sun mark on my lower leg. At first I didn’t do much about it.” It was two years before Franks showed the spot to his doctor. “It was smooth, unlike what I’d heard about skin cancer.” But then it started to grow. His physician immediately sent him to have it biopsied. The results came back as a melanoma. Although it was large, “the good news was that it was wide, not deep.” Two weeks later, he had surgery to remove a good sized area. “I have a nice scar, but they got all the margins. And so far, so good. I’m lucky it didn’t grow deeper.”

How has it changed you?

For Franks, it was an eye-opening experience that has made him more cautious. “I’m not going overboard and changing my lifestyle, but every ride I now wear sleeves. During winter, I cover my legs on the bike, and when I’m not covered, I use a lot of sun block on anything that’s exposed. And I’m going to surf shops to find a good rash guard for the water.”

He says he’ll also include sun protection as part of his coaching. “I didn’t think about it before, but we talk about sleep, nutrition and training smart, so I probably will make a change and include it in the basics.”