A Time
To Reflect!
Thinking about those that influenced your
triathlon season
by Michael
Pate of www.whenbigboystri.com
As
I have reflected over the Tri season this year, I thought about some of the
people that I don’t think I will ever forget. At almost every race, I
have had time to study the transition area and I have seen the different
ways each athlete methodically places each of their race items in their own
special way. However, I have had the opportunity to see some incredible
competitors that have left a lasting impression on me. Little did they know
they would make an impact in my life, but they did.
The first is not from a story that someone told me or I heard about this
triathlete. It was a muggy April morning and several members of our local
tri club had driven to a small triathlon that was set up for first timers.
As we arrived and picked up race packets, we began to see old friends from
last year’s season and quickly we made new ones. As I looked around, I
could see several members of our Tri Club helping out some of the newbies.
We all made our way to the swim and that was when I saw him. I could see it
on his face - it was a confident look, but for some reason I could sense
that he was a little nervous. As he turned, I could see that somewhere in
life, he had the terrible misfortune of being burned over the majority of
the rear portion of his body. I am not a burn specialist, but you could
just look at him and tell that he had fought to get to the point of
competing in a triathlon. I don’t know if it was his first or his
millionth, but I knew that if this guy had made it through something that
had to be as terrible as the scars apparently indicated, the battle just for
life itself was probably more than most of us could ever start to even
imagine. But somehow this guy had fought back and had come to the point
where he was able to compete in a triathlon. As far as I was concerned,
his disfigured body was not really disfigured at all. It was a symbol of
the battles that he had already won. I never got to speak to the guy,
didn’t remember his race number, I might not remember his face if he walked
up to me, but he reminded me that the battles that we fight are sometimes
minute compared to the battles of others.
Then there is this guy and his name is Ed. Ed has been at almost every
triathlon that I have ever been in. He was even at the first one I ever
went to and I still remember him from then. Ed can take the wind out of
your sails when he passes you or if you start in the same bracket as him and
you see how far he is ahead of you on the run. What is so special about
Ed? Well he is about six feet tall and probably weighs in at about 180
pounds, has a smile on his face, is a pretty good swimmer, a pretty good
biker, an o.k. runner and get this ------ he’s SEVENTY PLUS YEARS OLD!
If you take his age into consideration, he is probably the best racer on the
course. He always, even if he is having an off day, is giving it his all
and you can just look at him and tell that he loves to be out on the
course. In the last race that we raced in together, I shouted out to Mr. Ed
(now that you know that he is in his seventies, I’ll show him some respect),
“One day, I’m going to catch you!” He just smiled, as if to say “If you
catch me that’s fine, I’m not out here to show anybody up, I am out here to
have fun.” Mr. Ed, I hope that I make it to seventy and if I do, I hope
that I have people trying to catch me.
In my last race of the year, I really was shot mentally going into the
race. The evening before the race, I stopped by the race area to
pick-up my race packet and get familiar with the surroundings. While
standing in line, I couldn’t help but over hear the guy in front of me
telling his story. He was probably 5’7” and athletically built, and looked
like the typical triathlete. The lead-in to his story went like this:
“You know, you will probably blow by me on the run, I’m just out here for
the fun of it.” The other competitor that he was talking to said,
“Oh, you’re not a good runner?” And he replied, “No, I’m slow on the
run because I have no other choice. I have had both of my hips replaced and
one of my knees rebuilt, so I have to walk on the run.” Then and
there, I guess this probably gave me a good little kick in the butt.
Then he told the guy that he wore a sign on his back during the race, that
said “Two hip replacements, and rebuilt knee! What am I doing out here!”
If this guy shows up and gives it his all and has that many problems,
then why should I even think about having an off day? On his best day,
he probably feels worse than I do on my bad days.
Every race we can learn from those around us. I am sure you have
seen similar people or heard their stories that may have made you realize
the same thing, but the day that we fail to notice these unique individuals,
we are missing one of the greatest parts of this sport. Most of us have our
battles that we face in each race, but when it comes down to it, our battles
may be pale in comparison to those faced by others. Focus on your race,
but don’t miss out on the things that assure us we are fortunate to call
ourselves triathletes.
Still
Tri’n
Michael
The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that precedes the
victory. Karen Bliss Livingston – Elite road racer, captain of the
Saturn cycling team
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