Scenes From A Race: A Photo-Log of Self-Discovery

I was intensely fortunately that many friends and acquaintances took photographs of me during yesterday’s Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore triathlon. Here is a sampling of the many great action shots from these immensely talented shutterbugs. Photography can be described as accidental blink, or an artistic form of stalking – depending on your sense of humour. The following is my blog-roll of appreciation to the sun-kissed, digital publishers for yester-morning. High-5 to you!

Photo-credit: Dave Poh

Photo-credit: Richard Leong

Photo-credit: David Tay

Photo-credit: Tomoya Tsurata

Photo-credit: Agatha Susila

Photo-credit: Grace Li Hui Koeppen

Photo-credit: Raymond Croc Borromeo

I intend to replace one of these photos for my blog; perhaps, have a rotating series every month as suggested by one reader. Race photographers surely know how to make us look good, and they are some of our ardent supporters. Because of these visual captures, I was called a ‘poster boy’ – not too shabby for a middle-age, amateur, triathlete.

Race-day is an event to test the plan. That is where the training is supposed to fall into place. Yet, plans do go awry and results may vary (sounds like a disclaimer for a weight-loss advertisement). You discover aspects of racing which training did not reveal. You also learn about managing disappointments and doing damage control. However, photographic evidence reveals a lot about the inner workings of the human mind and heart as you proceed in the race. Unless you have a mirror of how you look, you may be unaware of what happens at that moment when you were photographed. Did you hesitate, doubt yourself, or consider giving up? When you smiled, did your mantra work? When you acknowledged the spectators beside you, were you optimistic, enthusiastic, intrigued or appreciative?

Here is a report of a fellow endurance athlete who paid tribute to his wife for his race.

Leadership Lessons: When was the last time you raced for a cause? Think of a plan, and execute the plan. Let your actions do your talking. Were you aware and alert to your surroundings when you were focused on an important task?