What it Means to be an Endurance Athlete?

Sunday 29th May 2011, I was one of the hundreds lined up at the start of Bondi Barefoot run. It was a 4k high intensity effort on the soft beach sand which helped me realise what it means to be an endurance athlete. I am writing this capture the profound feeling of being an endurance athlete to get motivation whenever I will need.

As the race started, the lead runners bolted off setting a cracking pace. Trying to run fast on the soft sand can be a challenge, especially if it is slightly moist, you can twist your ankle if you are not firm enough. Like in any endurance race, I felt fatigue, pain and still pushed on. The body said slow down. The mind said "STFU." The lungs struggled to suck in enough oxygen. The heart kept battling on in the red zone. With 80 meters to go, I could see a runner a few metres ahead. I was in pain, but felt if I push a little bit more, I can catch him. I pressed the pedal to the metal and cought him at the u-turn towards the finish, which was only 50 metres away. Then out of no where another athlete bolted past both of us to the finish.

When you have given it everything, when your body says you cannot take it anymore, when you see someone so much stronger than you that they make it look impossible to be beaten, when it is so much easier to slow down and let them win, only then you have the moment where what you do will define who you are. What you are made of. The decision you take is what makes you a fighter or an ordinary person. If you are a warrior, it is your moment of glory. If you are a firework, then it is the moment to explode and light up the sky with your brilliance. It is the moment when you cannot cheat yourself. It is a moment where you can choose to have any excuse to give up or choose not to give up despite all the excuses. If you are an endurance athlete, then this is the moment you live for. This is the moment you could die for. This is the moment when you are true to yourself. Like a fighter, you will rip it up. Your body and your mind will unify into the meditative state of the highest level. Your focus will be to cross that finsh line ahead of the other athlete. Your mind is working at capacity and still it has no other thoughts. The pain on your face is obvious. The photographers at the finish line are clicking pictures, but you don't have the luxury of smiling in front of the camera. You don't need to show off a fake smile to let the photo viewers think you are a happy person. In fact you are too focused to even notice the photographers or the spectators who may be cheering you. You are too focused to see anything at all except for the finish line. Your mind and body are performing at their best to help you cross the finish line ahead of the other competitor. The expression on your face is truth, and the truth hurts. There is pain on your face and there is nothing fake about it. You are about to vomit your guts out, but still you don't let it slow you down. Whether you win or lose the sprint finish is irrelevant. What matters is that you give it your 100%. That has to be more satisfying than winning it without giving it your 100%.




Sports teach us a lot about life. Sports teach us to be tough to face any curve ball that life may throw at us. Sports teach us to respect hardwork. Sports teach us to be honest to ourselves and others. Sports teach us to dream big. Sports teach us to challenge our limits. Sports teach us to believe in ourselves for we are those who can swim across the oceans, bike across the country and run across the deserts. We are the endurance athletes who make the world look a small place. We can achieve anything that we put our mind to. It is not our strong legs that make us run incredible distances. It is not our strong arms or shoulders that make us swim rivers and oceans. In fact it is something that others can't see. It is our stong will power. It is our will power that prevents us from giving up no matter how brutal the circumstances may be. Our will power is by far the most valuable asset we have. Whether we are happy or sad, excited or depressed, it is our will power to fight on with the situation that keeps us going. It is our will power that gives our lives a meaning. Physical assets can be stolen, arms and legs can be lost in an accident, but no one can steal the will. That is what makes a triathletes like John Maclean race an Ironman without legs. That is what makes a swimmer like Philippe Croizon cross the English Channel without arms or legs. This is what makes Lance Armstrong say "see ya later" to death and return as a champion. That is what inspires us. That is what we inspire in any one who comes in contact with us. That is what makes us beautiful.

So if you ever feel down, or need some encouragement, remember that you are an endurance athlete. You motivate the world. You have the will. Make it stong and make it happen. The world belongs to you. Go get it!