On the bus journey to Malacca, I watched a rather inspirational video which has shaped my aspirations for the near future to come. A fellow athlete brought with him the 2007 video-documentary of the Hawaii-Kona Ironman 2007 video which he shared with all of us.
The Ironman race can be considered to be one of the toughest races around to date. Starting off with a 3.86km swim in Kailua-Kona Bay, followed by a 180.2km bike ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to Hawi and back and ending with a 42.195 (full marathon) along the coast of the big island, it certainly is a race to be reckoned with. The video showcased a number of the top athletes in the triathlon scene and a number of remarkable athletes. The professional athletes are certainly worthy of all respect but it was the other non-professional athletes who left me speechless. They include a double leg amputee, a 70 over year old grandfather who lost his vision in both eyes, a teenager who was involved in a near fatal traffic accident 2 years prior to the race and a 75 year old grandmother who shows no sign of stopping with the 2007 Ironman race the 4th or 5th race under her belt. The video showed their struggles and how they prepared for the (in my opinion) most grilling race of their lives. The camera crew followed them through the race and showed them at their best and worst moments.
Many of us take what we have for granted and I am no exception to that too. It almost always takes a near disaster or for what we have to be taken away from us before we start to appreciate them. These athletes have inspired me in so many ways and perhaps the greatest lesson I have taken away from that video was simply to cherish the time and the good health I have now. Nothing in this world is ever permanent, be it love, good health or even the material things in our day-to-day life. Sometimes it is better to realize this important fact of life now then to have never realized it at all. A fellow athlete once explained to me that going with the rhythm is the single most important factor which many long distance racers use to keep them going. The first step is always the hardest but once u start, all you need to do is listen to your body and keep it going. I have taken that first step a long time ago but have never found that inner willpower to take it to the next level. The viewing of this video has certainly injected that spark I need to reignite that inner strength to soar to new heights I just hope I am able to see this through to the finishing line.
Life is simply one super long distance race and perhaps heeding all the lessons I have learnt from my participation in Triathlon would enable me to run the race of life in a much smoother and efficient manner. Ironman 2009? I sure as hell am going to try for it :)
“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
- Og Mandino (1923 - 1996)
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