The Big Dance

Today’s the big show in Kona, Hawaii… The Ironman World Championships. All long course athletes dream of getting there. All but 200 (I think) athletes get there by qualifying through another Ironman event. The remaining 200 are selected through a lottery system.

As badly as I want to make it to the big dance, I’ve decided not to enter the lottery. At best my chances are very slim of qualifying. Slim - but not impossible. As long as I think there’s ANY possibility of qualifying, I will try to get there through sweat, blood and guts rather than through luck. If I’m ever able to reach the starting line of IMHI, I want to feel as if I’ve earned it.

For me, qualifying for Kona is the stretchiest of stretch goals. The Ironman motto is “Impossible is nothing.” There are many folks (including several voices in my own head) that like to tell me that qualifying is impossible for a non-lifetime endurance athlete. That might ultimately prove to be true. But I also know that not setting the goal – and not expecting that outcome – will definitely result in failure. So I’m going to go ahead and embrace the motto. I want to race in Kona by qualifying. So there! I said it. Vision without action is hallucination.

Many of my non-endurance athlete peers openly criticize me for pursuing (what is in their minds) a worthless goal. My personal favorite criticism is, “I guess you don’t have anything better to do.” I guess not.

What those folks just don’t get is that extreme endurance sport can be about so much more than athletic achievement. There’s no doubt that I have grown personally, professionally, and spiritually since deciding to proactively pursue athletic goals. Three words: Not a coincidence.

This sport enforces discipline of lifestyle. It holds you accountable for action and inaction. Striving for excellence permeates all facets of life. Humility – Patience – Perspective - Tenacity – Self Awareness – Gratitude – the list goes on… Attributes that transcend athletics and all reinforced through the discipline of the endurance lifestyle.

For sure there are also pitfalls to living this way. Many a triathlete has ditched the family or other relationships / vocations to pursue athletic ambitions. I’m not apologizing for those folks. I’m also not saying I’m perfect. I’m just saying…