Bethany Avery Rutledge

Bethany packed a lot of life into her 37 years on earth. She was born in Knoxville, TN in 1981, but spent most of her formative years in Winter Haven, FL. Throughout her entire life, she excelled at anything she set her sights on. As a young girl, she was introduced to running by her father, Ron Avery. Their shared enjoyment of running would eventually blossom into a passion she had for endurance sports and a platform she used to impact countless lives. She also developed a love of reading and writing as a child, largely as a result of her mother’s (Kim Avery) encouragement. She would also eventually use her giftedness for words as a medium of massive benefit for others. As a teenager, she enjoyed playing multiple sports, was an outstanding student at Lake Region High School (class of 2000), was well-liked by her peers & adored by her family.

Bethany attended Samford University, graduating in 2004 with a B.A. in broadcast journalism. It was at the end of her time at Samford where she would be introduced to her future husband, John. John was initially drawn in by her million-watt smile that would light up any room she entered, but ultimately fell in love with her because of her kind heart, passion for life, shared Christian faith & courage to take bold action on things that she cared about. Bethany and John dated for 2 years, getting married on June 24th, 2006 in Lake Wales, FL.

As a wife, Bethany was the ultimate partner. She was selfless, encouraging, inspiring & loving. John and Bethany dreamed big and created their own unique, beautiful story. Bethany encouraged (dragged) John to attend an Atlanta Triathlon Club info session in January 2009 that would change the course of their lives. They both quickly developed a passion for the sport, but more so a connection with the great people in the endurance sports community. They would go on to race together all around the world, with Bethany completing more than a dozen Ironman triathlons, including the World Championship race in Kona, HI in 2012. The friendships she formed with people in ATC were among the best of her life.

Bethany and John expanded their links to the endurance world by opening up a cycling studio called Energy Lab, with partners Jim Boylan and Ted Morris and by assisting with the management of ATC with these same partners, along with Ron Teed and ultimately Tim Myers. Bethany loved teaching cycling classes with her friends in attendance, all pushing each other to achieve big goals.

Bethany also had a love for animals of all kinds. Her “first baby” was her Vizsla named Sadie she brought to the family in 2004. Sadie would be followed by her next pup, Bailey in 2007. Sadie and Bailey opened up Bethany’s heart and helped her develop a capacity for nurturing and loving as a mother she was quick to share she wasn’t sure she had. Her love of animals led to many fundraising events for animal-related charities, with many giving to Lifeline Animal Project in Atlanta, where she also served on the board.

John and Bethany decided they would try to start a family toward the end of 2016, but struggled to conceive. After multiple rounds of fertility treatments, Bethany became pregnant with her twin boys, Ethan and Alex in early 2018. The same day that Sadie passed away, the Rutledges received confirmation that their embryo transfers were successful...an absolute rollercoaster of emotions were shared on that day! Some complications of the pregnancy necessitated the early delivery of the boys on August 21, 2018 at just under 29 weeks. The nearly three months back and forth between home and the Piedmont Hospital NICU were a grind, but a tremendously bonding experience for Bethany and John. Bethany’s love of her family, especially her twin boys blossomed over the next year. She laid the foundation for “Team Rutledge” loving her boys and protecting them with everything she had.

Bethany’s legacy will live on through her family and she never be forgotten. She touched thousands of lives, using the platforms that God provided her to dream big, encourage others and inspire. As she looks down on us from heaven now, I’m convinced she wants us to do the same. Bethany, we love you tremendously and can’t wait to see you again.