Finding Strength, Purpose and Community: Aubrey Lowe’s Mission43 Journey to Boise IRONMAN 70.3

For Aubrey Lowe, Mission43 began with a single step forward during a difficult season.

During the COVID years, life felt heavy. Like many people, Aubrey was trying to get through each day and find her footing again. Then she decided to take part in Mission43’s September 11 Miles of Remembrance Run/Walk.

That experience changed something.

“I decided to do the 9/11 Run and it gave me a deep sense of pride, community, and love for our country,” Aubrey said. “It made me want to be part of an organization that brings people together and to feel this unity always.”

As Mission43 celebrates its 10th anniversary during a milestone year that also marks America’s 250th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of September 11, Aubrey’s story reflects the heart of this campaign: United in Service and Building Strength in Community.

Her journey is a reminder that service, belonging and personal growth do not end with one moment. They continue through the people we meet, the challenges we take on, and the communities that help us move forward.

Finding a Place to Belong

Since joining Mission43, Aubrey says the organization has had a profound impact on her life.

“M43 has absolutely changed my life,” she said. “I feel like I have found a place I truly belong, learned so many new skills and met incredible people who have become an important part of my life.”

For the past 10 years, Mission43 has helped Idaho’s military-connected community continue to lead, grow, serve and connect beyond the uniform. What began as a vision has grown into a statewide community of more than 10,000 veterans, military spouses and family members.

For members like Aubrey, that impact is deeply personal.

Mission43 became a place where she could reconnect with herself, build new skills, meet people who understood her values, and find the support to take on hard things.

Taking on Boise IRONMAN 70.3

This year, Aubrey set her sights on a new challenge: Boise IRONMAN 70.3. The race includes a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. But for Aubrey, signing up was about more than crossing a finish line.

“I signed up for the Boise IRONMAN 70.3 because I needed a goal that was mentally and physically hard,” she said. “I was feeling a bit lost in life and needed to step out of my comfort zone and rejoin life.”

Training for a 70.3-mile triathlon requires discipline, consistency and courage. It also requires community. Through Mission43 and the Idaho Outdoor Fieldhouse, Aubrey found a team that helped her show up, stay accountable and believe in what was possible.

“Training at the Fieldhouse has made me mentally and physically stronger and confident,” Aubrey said. “My M43 team has kept me accountable, and training is fun. I look forward to our suffer sessions together. We show up and push each other to be our best. On the hardest days we have each other to lean on and make it through each workout.”

That shared commitment is exactly what Mission43’s 10th anniversary theme is meant to celebrate. Strength is built through challenge, but it is sustained through community.

Doing Hard Things Together

For Aubrey, the path to Boise IRONMAN 70.3 has become a powerful reminder that she does not have to do life alone.

"Training with Mission43 this past year has shown me that I don’t have to do life alone and can do hard things,” she said. “I found incredible people who push me, believe in me, and will do crazy adventures with me. I found a community that shares my love for our military, country and Idaho.”

That sense of belonging is at the center of Mission43’s work. Whether through leadership development, education, employment, outdoor recreation, wellness, entrepreneurship, or community events, Mission43 creates opportunities for Idaho’s military-connected community to stay connected to purpose and to one another.

Aubrey’s training journey is not just about endurance. It is about reclaiming confidence, building resilience and discovering what becomes possible when people show up for each other.

Service Today

As Mission43 reflects on 10 years of impact, members across Idaho are also reflecting on what service means today.

For Aubrey, service is rooted in helping others feel seen, valued and connected.

“Today, my service is to help people learn something new, find happiness and know they matter,” she said. “I want to make someone’s day a little brighter and help them feel that they belong and have a purpose in this life.”

That definition of service carries forward the spirit of Mission43. It recognizes that service can take many forms: leading, mentoring, encouraging, building community, supporting others, and helping people find their next step.

In a year that honors America’s 250th anniversary, Mission43’s 10th anniversary, and the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Aubrey’s story reminds us that service is not only something we remember. It is something we continue.

United in Service and Building Strength in Community

Aubrey’s journey from the September 11 Miles of Remembrance Run/Walk to Boise IRONMAN 70.3 captures what Mission43 has made possible for the past decade.

She found pride and unity through remembrance. She found belonging through community. She found strength through training. And she found purpose by helping others know they matter.

As Mission43 celebrates 10 years, stories like Aubrey’s show the lasting power of connection. They remind us that hard things become possible when people train together, serve together, remember together and believe in one another.

This is what it means to be united in service and building strength in community.

Join Mission43 as we celebrate 10 years of impact. Follow along throughout the campaign, register for the September 11 Miles of Remembrance Run/Walk, join The Big Read, support the Veterans Business Market, and invite another veteran, military spouse, or family member to become part of the Mission43 community.