My Humbling Experience
By Coach Mark Konicek
The Ironman. Considered to be the most challenging endurance event in the world and one of life's greatest experiences. The event and the multi-year journey toward Mount Ironman changes both athletes and spectators forever. It is an accomplishment that spills over into every aspect of your life. It has a major effect on your family, friends, and complete strangers who come to cheer for other racers. Nobody is ever the same after the Ironman experience.
A couple weeks ago, on September 13, 2009, I shared the Ironman experience with my brother who competed in one of the toughest races in the world - Ironman Wisconsin. This was my brother's first Ironman. To survive the heat and humidity that 2009 brought and the hilly terrain of the bike course brings every athlete to the edge of human abilities. To survive Ironman Wisconsin is an amazing feat that most people consider just plain impossible. This was my time to give back that amazing energy and encouragement that was given to me when I became an Ironman and I'd like to share some personal reflections from my humbling experience of being "on the other side" as part of the support crew rather than competing myself.
You think of yourself as an athlete. You put in all that training and hard work. All those laps in the pool, countless miles on the bike, brick workouts when your legs feel like jello. For the last year, you do little more than eat, sleep and train for Ironman.
Together with your Coach, you devise a plan that you believe will get you to the finish line. You go into the race ready to work that plan to perfection. Then the inevitable starts to happen. You get out of the water thinking you own the course ... this 140.6 mile race ... but you start to get tired, you lose focus, your plan starts to fall apart, pain sets in and the wheels start to fall off.
Then a little reality sets in ... thankfully.
You see the amputee on the course running along with a look of determination on his face that you've never seen before. In the first few miles of the run, you pass a man in his 60s who just got done crushing you on the bike. You get a tremendous sense of pride as you battle the course side-by-side with the men and women who serve our country. You remember the struggles and tragedies that life has brought to family, friends and others. Things start to fall back into perspective. You remember it's just a race so you decide to have a little fun and push on.
Then it happens. You're into mile 20 of the run. You have gone to your inner well of energy one too many times. You wonder how you are you going to finish those last 6.2 miles that are going to put you over the edge and show you that glorious finish line.
There they are ... your family and friends standing on the course, yelling your name, cheering you on. Everything else disappears. You look into their smiling faces. You can see the encouragement. You can feel the energy. Suddenly the pain subsides and your race plans start to fall back into place. You use their energy and every last ounce of your own to conquer those final few miles of the course.
That beautiful blue arch that says "IRONMAN" appears in front of you. You raise your arms over your head in victory. Over the cheers and screaming, you cross that line and you hear those words you have been waiting to hear for a very long time: "YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"
As you cross the finish line, you are humbled by the realization that this race was not just about you. It was also about your family and friends who came to share this amazing experience with you. They put up with you and your mood swings. They lived your goal for countless months leading up to this day. Without their encouragement and energy, this day would not have been complete.
My day began at 5am with my brother, and he became an Ironman a little after 10:30 pm. As we hugged each other, I looked around at the other athletes with a new found respect. I found myself walking back out onto the run course to around mile 24. I was humbled a little bit more by the strength and courage of the athletes still out on the course, trudging through the darkness in search of the finish line. I stayed until 12:30am to give back as much as I could.
A huge CONGRATS to my brother and all the Ironman finishers and their Iron support crews!!!!
I can't wait to toe up to the starting line in Lake Placid 2010!
"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"
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Mark Konicek is a triathlon coach with EXPERIENCETriathlon. He has 20 years of experience in coaching and participation in the health and fitness industry. Mark started his career as a runner and continued to grow as a triathlete, ultramarathoner and Ironman. Click here to read more about Mark or schedule a coaching session.
