Jamie Allison is many things. Having recently retired after more than 30 years with Ford, he’s

happily married to his equally multifaceted wife Lena, a father to his now-grown daughter

Sydney, and a full-time Ibis resident. Now that his professional career is over, however, he

can devote himself to the passions guiding his life.

“I have two passions that I spend my time on. I loved cars and speed as a kid, so I joined

Ford to be around Mustangs. I love endurance sports—swimming, cycling, running.” These

may seem like typical enthusiasms, but as with everything Jamie does, he pushes them, and

himself, to the limit. A bet with a friend along the lines of “pick an event and I’ll out-compete

you” led Jamie to the world of endurance sports. Now a four-time Ironman competitor, he

didn’t start training for these events until later in life: “Obviously there was something in me

from the beginning, this idea of adventure and sports in general . . . OK, I’m going to do a

sprint triathlon. Obviously, I ran, and I rode bikes, but I never swam.” For those unfamiliar, a

sprint triathlon includes a 0.5-mile (750m) swim, a 12.4-mile (20km) bike ride, and a 3.1-mile

(5km) run. Swimming, as it turned out, would be an interesting challenge, but with a little help

from Sydney (an accomplished competitive swimmer), Jamie found his way to success as a

triathlete. He has dozens of Olympic distance triathlons under his belt, which is about double the distance of a Sprint Triathlon.  He’s also gone on to compete in the pinnacle of triathlons by finishing 2 Half Ironman and 2 full Ironman races- 2.4 miles (3.9Km) swim, 112 miles (180.2 Km) Bike ride, and a full marathon of 26.2 miles (42.2 Km) run. He’s also gone on to compete in half Ironman and Ironman competitions, with equal success.

Not that Jamie has forgotten his love for cars—he retains his passion for speed, automotive

engineering, and the world of driving. As an Ibis resident, he serves as our car club president. This opportunity arose unexpectedly, he tells us: “That journey began when the

previous president had heard that I had joined the community, and I had worked at Ford

Racing. He was looking for a speaker to kick off the season a few seasons ago. He and I

talked, and then I came in and talked about the passion for cars, the passion for motors

sports, and the passion for cars in general. That must have resonated because a

couple of weeks later, he approached me and said, ‘Hey, I’m looking for a replacement. How

would you feel about running the car club?’ I think I tell the story because sometimes it’s not so much about you finding things, but it’s about how things find you. I was certainly not coming in here looking for this, but running the car club here was an opportunity that just landed. This is how I live my life in general; I lean in and do it. Just leaned in and took the opportunity to meet people with like minds, like spirits, like interests.”

The car club maintains an active event schedule: their annual neighborhood Thanksgiving Day

Parade is a joyful and much-loved Ibis tradition, as is the Ibis car show in the spring.

Membership is growing, and as Jamie tells us, there’s no real requirement beyond being an

Ibis resident: “We’re inclusive, we welcome all, you just need a love and a passion for cars.”

He’s also expanding his involvement with training and athletics by developing an app for injured athletes—OuchySport—which will allow them to connect with others dealing with the same challenges and share training and recovery advice. He’s also now actively involved with the PBG Cyclomaniacs, a local club of cyclists in Palm Beach Gardens, which he describes as “a great opportunity to meet others with the same passion!”