Aloha Days in Kona in October: The Ironman World Championships

Since it has been a day after the exciting World Triathlon Championships in Kona, Hawaii I decided to write about the energy of the Big Island. What attracts 25,000 spectators to line the streets and 5,000 volunteers to help out in what can be described as the ‘Toughest Day On Earth’?

In September, I met the elite runners of the US Armed Forces who were here for the Singapore Bay Run/Army Half-Marathon. I found out, intuitively, that denizens of Hawaii tend to have a glow about them. Perhaps, it is the magic of the Big Island that engulfs them, as intensely as the strong winds and stifling heat of the historically, luxuriant, volcanic island. The mystique of the island revived the popular television series ‘Hawaii Five-O’ and was the location for ‘Lost’. 6-time Ironman champion, Mark Allen was a convert to the ‘spiritual homeland of Ironman triathlon’ and works with a modern-day Shaman on a mind-body renewal retreat/workshop each year. Peter Reid used to live for weeks in Spartan conditions, training and winning his championship Ironman titles.

We interviewed Wilson Low late last year. Since he graduated from Australia with a degree in journalism, he has been busy with online reviews, active in coaching adventure-racing endurance athletes, and racing. I asked him about his experience competing with 1,800 other elite age-groupers a few years ago. Even as a wordsmith, he had difficulty describing it.

‘It is too easy to get lost in the hype of the Race Exposition, or the throng of the visor-Oakley-compression-clad crowds. It is a feel-good atmosphere where everyone sizes you up without a word being said. You feel small and unimportant, but you also feel that you have a point to prove to yourself, if not your friends, family, and fellow athletes back home - that you deserve to have that shot on the World Championship course. Everyone looks SUPER FIT; no one breaststrokes during swim practice off the pier; perfunctory 'hellos' inevitably drift to the topic of where/how/what position/race timing you achieved for qualification. Every visitor that week, it seems, worked their arse off to qualify to be there, and is not afraid to share the story of their Ironman journey with you - so you do the same.’

He added, ‘In spite of that, I feel that my Ironman journey was an introspective one; one that was purely focused on delivering the best I could give of myself on race day. I certainly made lots of friends and acquaintances during the trip, but as part of the itinerary of the tour group (I traveled with Tri-Travel, the Australian-based company for M-Dot athletes), there were times when I just had to break away and execute my own program.

‘No one expects you to know them or acknowledge them, least of all, the professional athletes. You know that everyone who is there is there on a mission - to race the biggest and most important race of their triathlon season, if not career. I rode behind a tapering Chris McCormack one day on Ali'i Drive on the way to get some snacks at the ABS Store, and did not even bat an eyelid.

‘The best focus is being unemotional during the race. I saved the gushing and adoration for post-race, where I managed to get Craig ‘Crowie’ Alexander at the finish-line to autograph a visor; I also ambushed Chrissie (Wellington) after midnight on Ali'i to autograph my Cervelo P2C (she was riding the same frame then). More photo opportunities the next day at the Oakley truck with Chrissie and Crowie again. During the race, I posted my PB timing for the Iron-distance, and really appreciated the fact that I could stay aware to achieve that.’

Ng Yong Feng was there as a spectator about two years ago. He was staying near the transition area, so was limited in his travel outside. He described his experience as: ‘The energy there was high! I will re-visit Kona again, just to view the race and take photographs. There were many awesome moments!’

There you have it. Two perspectives as to why we may consider visiting Kona, Hawaii in October each year.

Swim For Hope Charity Weekend

Today was the Swim For Hope Charity event. Our Monday Tri-Swim Group pledged, collectively, to complete 2,900 laps. Our group initiated this as an interim training event, and also to do our bit and bid for charity. It was also strategised that we would recover some errant and missing swimmers over the weeks.

After watching online the first two hours and last two hours (before the male winner crossed the finish-line) of the Ironman championships in Kona, I was still sleepy and anticipated a challenging 50-lap swim. It was an exciting although relatively windless day in Kona, and Craig ‘Crowie’Alexander and Chrissy Wellington won their third and fourth Ironman triathlon world championship titles, respectively. The salient points were that Crowie broke the world record (previously held by Luc Van Lierde) by 12 seconds, and Chrissy accomplished her task after a bike fall barely a week ago. Their runner-up counterparts – Pete ‘PJ’ Jacobs and last year’s winner Mirinda ‘Rinny’ Carfrae – gave the eventual (and bookies' favourites) winners a run for their money, which is a whopping US$110,000 each for the champion’s purse. Singaporeans Choo Ling Er and Alvin Lee both successfully completed their foray to Kona in enviable times.

Back to our Sunday swimming soiree: About 30 swimmers showed up for the 10.30am flag-off. Clifford Lee (who eventually swam 110 laps of the Olympic-distance pool at SAFRA Tampines) was the first to break the water with the first wave of swimmers. The intention of the event was a fund-raiser for our Paralympians (who did a swim demonstration for us at midday, during our scheduled rest period) to have resources to participate in overseas events. I greeted Adam 'One-Armed Runner' - an accomplished endurance athlete - who is stoked as ever with charity events. 

Each swimmer swam one lap (50m) and switched to the lane on our left, and swam back. Volunteers would wrap two red rubberbands around our wrist; 10 red bands equaled one yellow band, which we exchanged for at a both. Each exchange gave us one coupon, upon which we wrote our contact details and entitled us to a lucky draw, and documented our swim. Many of the older swimmers were reminded of our secondary school days where we participated in the Pesta Sukan Swim, where 30 laps completed earned us the exact number of bands (with soft coloured tags) that was exchanged for a certificate of completion. Who would know decades later that we would do similarly for charity! Today's event raised S$20,000.

We, essentially, found our own private lanes electing to swim in lanes with fewer breast-strokers. Many of use found mild frustration swimming behind breast-strokers, which meant uncomfortable touching of other people’s feet. We learnt to switch lanes, and find our space and complete our commitment. We also found our graciousness to share space and accommodate those who reached fatigue, or were experiencing their first long-distance swim.

My supportive team-mates encouraged me to do another 10 laps over my 50 laps. I did do another 500m and completed 3K in what can be described as a fun, frothy, fruitful and friendly day; the Angry Birds head-gear were kind of suspect. There were no fruit during lunch, except chicken rice and Jo Lene's cheese-cake (which was polished off gratefully without preamble). Thanks everyone for making this a charitable day, and day of charity! Big shout out to Richard Leong and Dennis Quek (for his many underwater shots) for capturing the valuable pictorial moments.

Leadership Lessons: When was the last time you got into the deep end? How do you respond to a call for assistance? How far are you willing to stretch yourself physically, mentally and with your values? How often do you connect with the values of care, consideration, generosity of spirit, and a sense of community?

Photo-credit: Dennis Quek & Richard Leong

Stuffed Toys & Bird Caps: Leow Jo Lene

Angry Birds Models: Andy Foo & Jo Lene

Tomorrow: The Kona Experience for Spectator and Competitor

Shadowing The Moves: Real Steel

One-line review: A futuristic version of Over The Top meets Rocky VI meets Short Circuit.

Charlie (Hugh Jackman) is a down-and-out, ex-professional boxer who almost made it to the big time – having lasted the rounds with the second-best boxer in the world. Now a robot-boxer owner, he participates in unsanctioned tournaments with mechanical monsters that slug their way in strongly reinforced rings. When his ex-girlfriend dies, he is united with his 11-year-old son Max (Dakota Goyo). Being irresponsible, he decides to ‘sell’ his paternal rights over to his sister-in-law, on condition that he cares for his son for two months while his son’s wealthy future, foster parents go on vacation.

What follows is their struggle to reconcile their bloodline differences, with their love for boxing. His son finds a sparring robot, Atom during a near-death accident in a decommissioned robot junkyard; he restores it to operational readiness. Atom is a sparing robot (which can take massive blows to its body) and shadow boxer, and obeys every minute movement that his operator makes. With his father’s girlfriend, Bailley’s (Evangeline Lilly from television series, Lost) help, he restores and reprograms Atom into a reputable boxer. In the final fight against the reigning fighting robot champion (Zeus), Atom and Charlie will be tested – man and machine – for proof of their worth.

Australian, Hugh Jackman proves again why he is a rugged action-star, playing characters as diverse as Wolverine to a cattle wrangler (in Australia) to computer hacker (Swordfish). Real Steel is based on a 1956 story written by Richard Matheson. The film used animatronics and motion-capture technology for the combating robots. The final fight scene is the icing on the cake for this 127-minute story, with the muscular Jackman shadow boxing along with his mechanical counterpart.

Overall, I found the film to be fun and feel good with enough action, humour and a decent storyline. I give it a 3.5/5 rating.

Running Away in Macintoshes

The weekend beckons. My students announced it with their dress-down gear today, signaling to me early this morning that it was TGIF. Aware of this acronym, I converted it into the anagram ‘GIFT’. Some well-intentioned posters remind us, incessantly, on Facebook about the innocuous cliché that the ‘present’ moment is a ‘gift’. After the landslide of tributes in the last 24 hours for Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs I am mindful of ‘being in the moment’ and appreciating my presence, as well that of others.

I am writing this post on my 2-year-old iMac – a clever investment from a computer fair. I am a heavy user since I have written dozens of training manual, two novels, countless business proposals, thousands of e-mails, and 2.5 years worth of blogging on it. I have fond memories of my adventures - loaded as photographs and videos - in this workstation, and I continue to receive them when friends enthusiastically ‘tag’ me; this was a recent one of me sprinting to the finish-line (and taken by volunteers of the Yellow Ribbon Project Run, held a fortnight ago).

The weather has been quirky, opting to rain heavily in the evening. It has been five days since I rode my bike, and almost a week since I ran. My mild, but annoying, condition of plantar fasciitis has just about cleared. Having collected my race-pack with running partner for The North Face (TNF) 100 Duo, I am strongly reminded of my date-with-fate the following Saturday morning at 7.00am. I will be running 50K worth of rugged terrain, over relatively unfamiliar and mostly uncomfortable terrain. I am not versatile on trail, and the closest I have been to a dusty or muddy trail was my 5K Time Trial with MR25 in August. I have not used my Camel-Pak water-pouch for almost a year, and I am concerned about potential abrasions. My right rotator cuff is playing up, and I hope that it would be stable enough for the pounding I will subject my body and feet to. I have my work cut out for me.

My strategy for the 50K trail run is simple, however not easy. I intend to do daily runs from now till Thursday, over varying terrain for about 10-12K per session. I will be using my Camel-Pak, studying which are the potential pressure-points and abrasion-prone areas on my body. I am likely to race in my tri-gear as they are my workhorse clothes when I race, and I like to treat each race as a race-day simulation. I hope to hold 8-9K per hour on the hills and trails, and about 10K on the flats. Conservative will be my approach, and conversational would be my pace. I will fuel up at 30-minute intervals, with a variety of sweeteners (mainly maltodextrin-based gels and bars). More importantly, as a team-partner I will stick with Hui Koon for as long as I can. My motivation would be a Subway foot-long sandwich with the ‘works’.

I will be swimming this Sunday at a charity, and hope to complete a steady 50 laps (2.5K). Time to rest up and do a 21K tomorrow morning, rain or shine. Have a very good weekend, all!

Remembrances & Ruminations

Emperor: ‘The Samurai is not a man now. He is an idea. Tell me how he died.’

Algren: ‘I will tell you how he lived.’

- THE LAST SAMURAI

Today was a day of sadness: Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios’ CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs passed away (1955-2011). The digital media mogul behind the infinite success of the iPod, iPad, iMac and iPhone and the book ‘The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs’ inspired netizens to watch his YouTube broadcast of his speech to graduates at Stanford University’s 114th Commencement. His first bout of cancer and his relative mortality, inspired him to draw from some of his most pivotal points in his life:

‘Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.’

The social media was abuzz with announcements, and then tributes poured in for the iconic entrepreneur and founder of Apple. People have been affected and influenced by Jobs; he left behind him a legacy that is larger than his life.

This week, I attended my business partner’s mother’s funeral. After we paid our last respects to her, we adjourned to the sitting area for conversation. We caught up with old friends and acquaintances, and met new ones. When you embrace death as a natural part of life, it becomes a significant stage of our lives, too. Birth, life, and death – the cycle spins for all within the Universe.

Why is it some concerned mourners ask the morbid question: ‘How did they die?’ What is this fascination for dying? I was never comfortable with the process of dying, however I am familiar and aligned with the grieving process associated with loss of a loved one: denial, anger, acceptance and commitment.

I will be writing a tribute for a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) Singapore Ring 115 - Pei Seh Leong. I solicited thoughts from his son, Jeremy and our members so as to paint a complete montage of a magician we lost – we call him a Broken Wand – for he will never again wave his magic wand (an allegorical symbol of a magical entertainer). It is my pleasure to help craft his obituary for I am honoured to speak well of him with others.

Remember our dead! Celebrate our living.

Credit: Winston Koh, for being acute curator of Steve Jobs’ speech.

Photo-credit of Mr Pei Seh Leong: Jeremy Pei.

An Action Packed Week

'Swim 2.4 miles. Ride 112 miles. Run the marathon. Brag for life!' - JIM COLLINS, Co-founder of Ironman Triathlon


The Ironman Triathlon World Championships takes place this weekend in Kona, Hawaii. A new king and queen will be crowned on the Big Island, where the 226K-race comprising swim, ride and run was born in 1978. Ex-Navy Seals and their spouses asked the innocent question: ‘Who is the fittest? Swimmer, cyclist or runner?’

The early predictions have been cast. Some believe that Chrissy Wellington will return with a vengeance and win her fourth victory in Kona; others believe that 70.3 world champion and last year’s Kona Queen, Mirinda ‘Rinny’ Carfare may repeat her win. The field is wide open for the Men’s race, although many predict that Andreas Raelert who was second last year (closely behind Macca’s two-peat feat) may win it – if he is injury-free. Others think that Crowie has a chance of a three-peat if his ride improves significantly, as he is a solid marathoner. Pete Jacobs, who had a good year in 70.3 races, may be carrying wild horse card, as he is a Triple Threat with the best marathon last October. The younger professionals will pit their wits against the more seasoned and race-savvy veterans of this glorious race.

Will this be another Aussie landslide year, like 2010? Macca has retired from Kona, and is focused on his delayed dream of earning a sure spot on the Australian Olympic triathlon team for London Olympics 2012.

All the best to our Singaporeans racing in Kona! We wish you a beautiful race, and may the Kona gods smile upon you in their fiery and windy ways.

My certificate for the Singapore Bay Run arrived today. This was, particularly, rewarding and memorable for I clocked my personal best half-marathon. It was not one of my easiest runs as I ran, intuitively for the race; I referred little to my watch. I went a little hard on the first 10K, as I realized with a near-PB. Overall, it was my third of four consecutive and memorable races in September. Another BQ is definitely in the design; next week’s TNF100 Duo will be my next challenge. I’ve not done this race yet, although I gave up my TNF100 Solo spot last year when I clocked a surprising 9:30 in the Sundown 84K evening race. 

Challenge Yourself To Think Critically

When was the last time that you challenged your thinking? How open-minded did you allow yourself when you claimed that you were ‘open to possibilities’? Which idea did you critically review, so that you discovered new perspectives and propositions?

When people openly challenge us, we almost instinctively dive into our fear response: fight, flight, or fright. Observe how a colleague responds to a question directed by a manager to him. Which were his non-verbal and verbal responses that you observed? Defensive behaviors are a result of the startle response – when a person feels threatened (fright) and attacked, and they retaliate (fight) with their comebacks, usually with anger or denial.

Thinking to think can be a refined set of skills that can be sharpened through time. However, it requires a keen sense of awareness, presence of mind, enthusiasm and curiosity. Here are some ways to engage and challenge your mind and mental models:

1)    Review one set of PowerPoint slides, and delete 10 percent of the deck (slides).

2)    Think of 3-5 other ways to use a tool.

3)    Think of 3-5 creative ways to begin your meetings.

4)    Consider how to make meetings more useful, purposeful and relevant to staff, and apply them.

5)    Think PLUS: How can you add value to a person or process?

6)    Think MINUS: What can you reduce or eliminate, to add value to a person or process?

7)    Write a short essay where you share your Good Practice on a process (such as leadership, coaching or a work process).

8)    Propose your own idea and consider feedback on it; defend it while preserving rapport with the group or individual.

Leadership Lessons: Activate your thinking today. Think of what you reduce to your life that diminishes value. What can you do to add value? How can you get more for less? Is it possible to create something of value from minimal? 

*****

I never made it to last Sunday’s MR25 5K Time trial, although about 40 participants arrived to seek their ranking. Roger Chow, co-owner of 25 Hours – a known watch retail chain – attempted and earned his membership and ranking, despite fatigued legs. Congratulations, Roger! I decided to do a three-hour ride to assess my riding legs after the brief morning rain. I met Yong Feng enroute and had a short chat; both of us were decked in our Elite bikes and gear (with Panache). He is training for Ironman Western Australia, and I wish him all the best for his quest. The Ironman World Championships is on this weekend, and I have almost finalized my prediction list. It could a two-fer for Australians, but that’s my sense of it. More will be revealed soon. Have a good week!

Books to Inspire You To A Personal Best

‘When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it – always.’ MAHATMA GANDHI

Inspiration comes in many forms. It can be an insight, realisation, being touched by your muse, or a sudden impulse to do something not attempted before. Said Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘Do one thing everyday that scares you.’ Wayne Gretsky said: ‘I miss 100 percent of the shots I don’t take.’

I am, currently, reading a few books and it includes a few biographies of inspiring people. I enjoy biographies, since I reviewed books and films by sportspeople including Chris McCormack, Bart Yasso and Fred Lebow.

Matt Long was a New York City firefighter with East Harlem's Ladder Company 43. He was crushed by an off-course, charter bus while riding his Trek 2200 road-bike, to an early-morning workout on a cold winter's day. He was, literally, horribly dragged under a bus, impaled, and nearly died. A 3:13 NYC Marathon finisher (and Boston Qualifier), NYC firefighter, and Ironman triathlon finisher – he was painfully close to death. After the gruesome accident, and a prognosis that he would likely be paralysed, Long endured 40 operations and months in the hospital. He focused on the finish-line of the NYC Marathon 2008, which he completed after his recovery when he was 42. It was a major accomplishment for Long, and it motivated him to begin speaking publicly, and to create the ‘I Will’ foundation to help people recover from traumatic, life-altering, illnesses or injuries. His memoir, The Long Run (co-written with an editor at Runner’s World magazine) is full of the heartfelt ‘can-do’ attitude that should appeal to the Iron Man in everyone. It chronicles his long and determined road to recovery, both physically and psychologically.

I wrote a few weeks ago that I met Sister Madonna Buder, one of my inspirations to do Ironman triathlons. At 80-years-old, she is the oldest female Ironman triathlete, and still racing. I intend to read 'The Grace to Race' and post a review, thereafter.

Few would be touched when they watch the athletic exploits of The Hoyts. Team Hoyt is a poignant relationship between father and son, and a dream that needed to be realized. This is another book I will get in my shopping cart for Amazon.com.

Smile An Everlasting Smile

‘Do good. Be good.’ – The Buddha

I just watched an Academy Award-winning documentary called ‘Smile Pinki’. It touched me in many ways, especially the longing looks of these afflicted children, and the haplessness of poor families.

I find it sad and disappointing that, children born with cleft lips and palates can still be treated with ignorance and apathy. Children have been abandoned or killed because due to deep-seated superstition and abject ignorance about this developmental condition. I admire the purpose and cause of this not-for-profit organization called Smile Train. Their Vision and Mission are:

‘Every child born with a cleft anywhere in the world has the opportunity to live a full, productive life.

Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where there are millions of children who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren't allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache. Their clefts usually go untreated because they are poor – too poor to pay for a simple surgery that has been around for decades.’

Essentially, the staff of Smile Train scour third-world countries for cases of children and adults with clefts. They generously do this by patiently giving out flyers, asking people, and making public announcements; local doctors are also trained on how to deliver this empowering procedure. As the clinic provides free daily surgeries for patients, almost everyone is entitled to this valuable opportunity despite their financial condition. All is required is that the child is accompanied by an adult (who signs the consent form for the operation) for seven days. The condition being: find your way there, and bring enough food for the week. The actual surgery costs US$250 for each patient; more than 650,000 patients have been successfully treated.

Do visit the Smile Train website and see what you can do: educate, spread the word, promote the cause, or make a donation. The  ‘Smile Pinki’ DVD is available free. Do help the organisation in your own unique way. I thank you!

Crossing Countries and Cross-Country Running

In exactly two weeks’ time, I will be running with my triathlon-buddy, Hui Koon in The North Face (TNF) 100 Duo race. Each of us will have to complete 50K worth of challenging and varying terrain. I have not run cross-country for a while, with my last being my running club’s (MR25) 5K time-trial. My recent rolling road race was when I ran was at the Yellow Ribbon Project 10K Run, and placed 44^th in 44:44.

This is the latest controversy to erupt in the triathlon world. Two former-world champions in triathlon are suing an author and publisher for irresponsible journalism and inaccurate reporting. Reporting on the truth is a challenging task, marred by failure to establish agreement (about content and co-authorship) with the subjects being interviewed. Will a suggested boycott of this new book fan or flag its sales?

I just watched a 3-hour-plus long Hindi film, Veer-Zaara (2004) directed by Yash Chopra; it was the top-grossing Bollywood film of the year. It is a romantic story set against the backdrop of tension-riffed India and Pakistan. A former-air Indian Airforce Squadron leader (Shahrukh Khan) who falls in love with a Pakistani woman (who hails from a rich, political family) is jailed for 20 years. A female Pakistani lawyer attempts to free him after hearing his story, and in the process delivers abject lessons on justice and cross-border relations. Overall, I enjoyed the film as there were some poignant moments, focus on family values, well-written dialogue, and the enticing musical score. 

Tomorrow after, I may test my cross-country legs at MR25’s bi-monthly 5K time Trial. If I do cross the line below 22:00, I will then earn my new ranking as a Greyhound. I missed that moniker by one sly second in August, so I commit to giving it my hearty shot. Plus, the countryside view is not too shabby. Have an enjoyable weekend!