To Shake Off This Mortal Coil…

‘A MORTAL MAN ATTEMPT AT SOMETHING IMMORTAL. THE IRONMAN.’ I read this interesting slogan off the Crazy2Tri blog and it got me seriously thinking, and then writing. It was my excuse to not ride this evening and instead do a heavier training session tomorrow. Really. 

Is an Ironman triathlon an attempt by mere mortals to defy their mortality? 

The opening voice-over of NBC’s Wide World of Sports declared: ‘The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat!’ That pearly-1980’s programme I recall, introduced me to the sport of Ironman triathlon. In my youthful ignorance, I swore I would never do such a sport – it glorified utter madness! The vivid image of the suffering Japanese triathlete walking in the marathon leg into the darkness of Kona burnt, indelibly, into my highly influential mind. By that, I mean I was a voracious reader, an organic sponge for knowledge, and I was consumed by subjects as diverse as veganism, the occult (meaning ‘unknown’), UFOs, subliminal suggestion, running, bodybuilding, and spirituality. On reviewing these, I still hold dear a few of these topics, but I’m not saying which…

The Ironman triathlon: a tripartite of swimming, riding and running over 226 kilometres of fatigue, thirst, self-realisation, self-talk, and physical trauma. Why would you even want to attempt, let alone train for hundreds of hours to prepare for this event? Isn’t the sensation of pain enough justification for what it feels to be human – and thus, mortal? 

Shakespeare wrote: ‘I have immortal longings in me. 

Perhaps, William S. was referring to those intangible things that never really fade into oblivion? These include experiences, skills, dreams, memories, and longings. Many people long to do something seemingly impossible, yet until they have attempted it, they are still estranged from ‘being immortal’. Nobody is immortal, yet this sense of immortality may sprout from doing the seemingly ‘impossible’. Sports-gear company, Adidas’s tagline screams: Impossible is nothing. 

I have met many athletes whom I consider as immortal, for they have demonstrated their ‘enduring fame’ with me. One of my friends – TC - from Newcastle, Australia has completed 12 Ironman triathlons. In my books, this builder is immortal for his multiple finishes; Terry completed his last race with an injured hip. Last week, I met a 30-something American investment banker, who climbed Mt. Everest last year. He must surely be ‘immortal’ as he has quenched his longing to summit the highest point on this Earth. If that’s where Mount Olympus is purported to be in Greek Mythology, then climbers become immortalized. 

So, why do these mortals do these strange, yet amazing feats of human capability and capacity? Are they trying to ‘shake off these mortal coil’ as suggested in Hamlet? Or, do we do it to prove that we can do it? Doesn’t doing something seemingly impossible, make us feel more confident in ourselves? 

By the way, the Crazy2Tri team (and growing) are a bunch of mostly 40-somethings, re-defining ‘age’ into ‘age-less, and who I think are crazy (in the transient sense) but delightful athletes to be with. Read their exploits on crazy2tri.blogspot.com and be inspired. They have immortalized their, step-by-step experiences in Ironman China 2009.