Dr Kua Harn Wei blends theoretical physics, philosophy and pain into an unusual equation for human potential
Enrico Varella: What was your proudest moment in triathlon? What have been your major achievements?
Harn Wei: The proudest moment has to be crossing the finish line first for the 10th Ironman of the deca Ironman in 2006. To me, it epitomised a coming-from-far-behind win but it really showed me how by putting my emotion and passion into a race, we can achieve the wildest of dreams - including recovering from a tight illiotibial band (which occurred after only the 2nd Ironman) and literally getting stronger and stronger toward the end of the deca. Ranking as high up there in terms of triathlon achievements are: clinching 8th overall in the double ironman world championship in 2003 (my maiden ultra triathlon), setting a new Asian records for the triple Ironman in Germany in 2009 (after running non-stop for almost 19 hours for 126.6km, after the 11.4km swim and 540km bike), setting a new Asian record for the quintuple Ironman in 2005 (after battling very bad abrasions from the bike and run) and, of course, winning 2nd place overall in the 2008 Ultra Triathlon World Cup Series.
Enrico Varella: Tell us more about your last Deca. You dropped out because of a bad knee injury. You rode with one leg. It must have been hard on you.
Enrico Varella: Tell us more about your last Deca. You dropped out because of a bad knee injury. You rode with one leg. It must have been hard on you.
Harn Wei: Yes, I will remember that for life!! The deca was the last race in the world cup series of 5 races. The challenge in the 2008 world series was to complete as many as 19 ironman races - 3 double, 1 triple and 1 deca - in a span of only 5 months. I managed to complete all races up to that point of the deca. I had a good swim (I finished the 38km pool swim in just over 17 hours) and managed to climb very steadily to the 4th place overall with a very consistent cycling effort. When I nearly hit the 1000km mark, I found that a faint strain in the inner left knee cap has worsened into an intense pain. Soon, I could not even bend my left leg any more. It was horrifying, especially since I have never gotten any serious injury in any part of my body. It didn't take long before the knee swelled up like a balloon and earlier diagnosis conjectured an inflammed Hofa fat pad.
It was very demoralising. At that point in time, I knew that my chance of becoming the World Cup champion was slipping away (in fact, as long as I finished the deca within 12 days, I would have gotten the world number 1 ranking). So, I was very determined to make it through the 1800km and go on with the running, which I was sure I could just limp and walk through the 422km and yet make it sub-12 days. Repeated rest didn't help and I needed to resort to anything that my fatigued mind could possibly stretch my imagination to come out with!
I have the ability to see the lighter side of things. This shows in the way I see triathlons! I remembered that during the 2003 double ironman world championship in 2003, in Lithuania, when I was 4km into T2, my support crew discovered that my running shoes were stolen at the transition area! I had a very good ride and swim up to that point. Amidst my disappointment, I switched to the lighter side of things and told my crew 'give me any shoes. Even if you have a pair of slippers, I will wear them and finish the double marathon!'. Although it was meant to be a 'half-joke', I was all prepared to do just that. Fortunately, they found my worn-out travel shoes, and I completed my run leg in them.
That spirit rekindled my hope in Mexico. I have always been a fan of training on the bike stationary trainer, and one-legged drill has always kept me alive on the trainer. In my search for a way - any way - to cover more distance on the bike, I took off my left bike shoe and basically just started pedalling with my remaining functional leg. It was a mix of fun, adventure and, well, just my plain old self of not giving up so easily. Mexico has always been a sacred place for me - a place that had more than once brought out the best (and worst) out of me as a person and athlete. With one leg, I managed to cover another 50km, over 4 excruciating hours! Soon, I had problems with my right leg too and right hip. That was when my sense of sanity and logic kicked in and told me enough is enough. If there was a time to quit, that was it. Although quitting means that I would at best hold on the second position in the world cup, it is more important that I recover fully from this injury and come and fight on another day.
When I returned to Singapore, I went for a thorough medical examination, including going for a MRI scan of the knee. The results revealed something expected and something unexpected. The expected thing was that the pain was actually caused by a medial synovial plica irritation. The unexpected result is that my knee is healing fast and that the main meniscus and ligaments in my left knee are intact and they show no sign of premature deterioration due to training and racing over long distances.
I consider this a huge gift of a luck and vow to take good care of my legs so that they can carry me over longer distances and help me explore more places in the future.
I have the ability to see the lighter side of things. This shows in the way I see triathlons! I remembered that during the 2003 double ironman world championship in 2003, in Lithuania, when I was 4km into T2, my support crew discovered that my running shoes were stolen at the transition area! I had a very good ride and swim up to that point. Amidst my disappointment, I switched to the lighter side of things and told my crew 'give me any shoes. Even if you have a pair of slippers, I will wear them and finish the double marathon!'. Although it was meant to be a 'half-joke', I was all prepared to do just that. Fortunately, they found my worn-out travel shoes, and I completed my run leg in them.
That spirit rekindled my hope in Mexico. I have always been a fan of training on the bike stationary trainer, and one-legged drill has always kept me alive on the trainer. In my search for a way - any way - to cover more distance on the bike, I took off my left bike shoe and basically just started pedalling with my remaining functional leg. It was a mix of fun, adventure and, well, just my plain old self of not giving up so easily. Mexico has always been a sacred place for me - a place that had more than once brought out the best (and worst) out of me as a person and athlete. With one leg, I managed to cover another 50km, over 4 excruciating hours! Soon, I had problems with my right leg too and right hip. That was when my sense of sanity and logic kicked in and told me enough is enough. If there was a time to quit, that was it. Although quitting means that I would at best hold on the second position in the world cup, it is more important that I recover fully from this injury and come and fight on another day.
When I returned to Singapore, I went for a thorough medical examination, including going for a MRI scan of the knee. The results revealed something expected and something unexpected. The expected thing was that the pain was actually caused by a medial synovial plica irritation. The unexpected result is that my knee is healing fast and that the main meniscus and ligaments in my left knee are intact and they show no sign of premature deterioration due to training and racing over long distances.
I consider this a huge gift of a luck and vow to take good care of my legs so that they can carry me over longer distances and help me explore more places in the future.
Photo-credits
- 'Finish2.jpg': VirginiaDoubleIron2008
- 'Ceepo@IMWA.jpg': Kua Tin Buan
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