The date is September 3rd 2006, I am super excited. It is the day of my first half Ironman (called 70.3 because a full Ironman is 140.6 miles). I have travelled with my family and some friends to the South of France to take part in the first Ironman Monaco 70.3.
I have been training for this moment for many months and leading up to it over multiple years. I have run several marathons, cycled in cyclosportives including stages of the Tour de France. I have done hours of swim technique and completed multiple shorter distance triathlons. Completing a half Ironman is the next stage in my journey...I dont know where it will end up but I know it is on the path. I am very nervous but confident. I feel like an athlete ready so show my worth. This is going to be great day!
The swim is in Larvotto beach in Monte Carlo, the bike is up the steep mountains around Monaco and into the hinterland. A challenging bike course followed by a challenging run which involves multiple loops of the formula one course. The finish line is by the casino. A glamorous location for a great event.
My family and friends wish me well as I head to the start line. Now I am nervous...but come on, I am fit, strong and ready to go right. The swim is always my most nervous part of a triathlon, I always worry about it. I think the main reason for this is that I came to ‘proper’ swimming later in life. When I started I really could barely swim any length without exhaustion. It is so much harder to learn skills like swimming later in life. Not impossible, just harder...
The swim has two loops and I finish without incident, I come out of the water and head up to get my bike. I had ridden some of the bike course a couple of times in practice and so I know it’s challenging but very scenic. The views over the town are amazing.
Almost immediately after getting on the bike the climbing begins. The traffic has been stopped to allow us to go through what are usually very busy and bustling roads. Soon though we are out of the town and heading up into the country. The apartment blocks and shops give way to villas and then to small farms and villages.
The bike course has three big climbs, each one about 30-45 minutes long. They have switch backs and some very steep sections. I am confident and happy. A number of athletes pass me. No bother, these are faster and quicker than me, and besides being a bit heavier I will catch them on the descent!
Then it happens....without fanfare and quietly a man on a bike passes me like the others. But wait, there is something unusual about him...he has one leg! He also did not have a false leg on. He cycled with such expertise despite balancing on the saddle and pushing with one leg. He had lost his leg from above his knee. To make matters worse he didn’t just struggle past me...he cruised past me with ease.
This turn of events caused me some major concern. How could this happen? Am I that bad that me, a so called, able-bodied man is overtaken by another man with one leg on a bike going up a steep hill?
I went into defensive mode. Well if they guy has only one leg he has a lot less weight than me. Going up hill is so much easier. All is well with the world again!
It then occurred to me - why was I so defensive. Why was my first thought about why a so-called ‘disabled’ man was beating me me be about me? I realized just then that I could have been him. If you read my story you will remember that when I was a teenager I had osteomyelitis in my right ankle. Back then the normal procedure for bad osteomyelitis was to amputate the leg from the knee down. I was lucky. My Dad found a surgeon who was willing to try to save my leg which he did.
It then occurred to me, I have had back issues, dealt with weigh problems etc etc and despite these challenges l got to the start line of the race. I wondered, if I had had my leg amputated like the guy who just overtook me, would I have had the mental and physical fortitude to make it to the start line? Makes you think...
And then came my lesson...I realized it did not matter about being overtaken. I knew I just wanted to finish the race, my first half Ironman.
It didn’t matter what happened with him. It is all about your challenge and your goals not about whether you ‘beat’ someone. Being ‘better’ than someone else is a very shallow way of thinking. Are you the best you can be? Can you be better? Can you achieve the performance of others? If you beat someone then that’s great but it is not about that it is about how you measure yourself relative to your own goals.
This moment was a very important one in my life. There will ALWAYS be someone ‘better’ than you and there will ALWAYS be someone ‘worse’ than you. That is not important. What is important is how you measure and challenge yourself. Be the best you can be...that is all that matters!