This evening, our entourage sent off Barney Tee and Don Ng at Terminal 3, Changi Airport. They will be the first Malaysian and Singaporean to attempt the extreme Norseman Ironman within the stipulated hours. Two years ago, Don crashed during the dangerously fast descents, and had to, unfortunately, stop after painfully running a quarter of the tough marathon. They will attempt to earn both the white and black t-shirts. The black label, t-shirt is earned when you arrive at the 36K mark of the marathon within the cutoff time of 14.5 hours, whereby you gain permission to do the slippery, rocky climb, for the remainder of the marathon.
We also bumped into Ironman Regensberg incumbents, Chris Smith, Mano, and Conrad. The cliché ‘It’s a small world!’ was reinforced when I realised that Chris’s brother was my old friend in journalism, Colin. Once in print and broadcast media, he now manages his own media company. We promised to catch up shortly on the social media platform before meeting face-to-face. I used to write full-time and freelance for leisure magazines, trade journals and the newspapers in the early 1990’s – writing continues to be one of my passions in my life. Colin and I stretched ourselves to pursue our other interests later in our lives, so as to realize our potentials.
Endurance races can be an indulgence, yet it is a test of one’s leadership qualities and character. Can you withstand the discomfort and pain? As Macca alluded in his book: Can you embrace the suck? Can you continue when the going gets really bad?
The physical test of triathlon over any distance is a disquieting and demanding task. It is so easy to allow self-doubt, anxiety, apprehension and other distractions to shift your focus away. However, with occasional racing and the annual Big Dance of your choice, you can test your mettle, true grit, gumption, and other qualities of your character. My friend, James Middleditch who won in 40-44 years age group at the OSIM Singapore International Triathlon Sunday has completed Kona, and will be competing in the first Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas in September.
Congratulations to the perennially fit, human dynamo Victor Chan for winning in his age group!
Be the best YOU, you can be!
* Inside scoop: By the way, JCVD was very particular about how his Thai glass noodles was prepared, that he rejected many versions in the resort he stayed. The resort manager had to request his wife to cook for the film star, eventually - that was resourceful!
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