The driving force that makes athletes do this crazy sport
A social media conversation a few hours before the deadline for this column caused me to abandon the topic I had planned. You see, it’s 3½ weeks before the Ironman African Championship 2018 and almost half of my newsfeeds are dominated by friends talking about this event. Many ordinary Joes and Janes have begun the daunting countdown that some consider as having come too soon, while for others it seems to be taking too long. Often the line between these two groups is not that clear cut. Athletes who have consistently and meticulously followed a programme will be those eager to go now. The too-soon group mainly consists of people who either skipped a few sessions, got ill along the way or simply say “life happened”. No matter which group one belongs to, the date and time won’t change, so one has to just deal with it and take it as it comes. I, on the other hand, will probably be suffering from a heavy dose of fear of missing out, also known as FOMO. This will be the first time I miss the race since I started my journey in 2014. Most will have started by doing a shorter distance triathlon such as a sprint (750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run) or standard (1 500m swim, 40km cycle and 10km run). I jumped straight into the Ironman 70.3 South Africa (1,9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run) in January 2014. That very same year, I signed up and completed my first full (3.8km swim, 180.4km cycle and 42.2km run) Ironman in 14 hours and 15 minutes.
In August last year, I had my best result (11hr-10min – Challenge Regensburg, Germany) but it was a double, two Iron distance races in one year. That was enough for me to take time out. While Joes and Janes will be doing battle for age-group honours, those important World Championship slots or simply just to finish, all have one thing in common – they have a reason for doing this seemingly crazy sport. Every athlete who lines up at Hobble beach has something deep inside that drives them to endure the preparation that got them to this point. It is this understanding that excites me so much that I will be there to cheer these athletes towards attaining their goals. I know athletes who have huge health battles and this race plays an important part towards emotional and spiritual healing. Take for example my good friend Richard Wright () whose battle with cancer has been widely published. I got to share the road with Richard during a recent training camp in the Bay and the positivity that man exudes is infectious. There are many other stories of athletes who, through this race, are determined to show that anything is possible, that your health or weight don’t have to define who you are. I’ve seen athletes literally shrink to almost half with so much energy and confidence. I say to them bravo. While the sharp end of the field is out there doing battle for the win, 2 000 more will be doing battle for life and I wish them success. To the ZAF pro field of Anna Watkinson, Kyle Buckingham, James Cunnama, Matt Troutman and many others, I say good luck. I have a feeling this year’s champion will be a South African.
