TURNING CHALLENGE INTO CHANGE
Running to inspire: an ordinary person doing an extraordinary thing
Terry Hitchcock, 57 years old, did the impossible:
Never ran before, having a weak heart, bad knees and shaky ankles, he ran 2.000 miles in 75 straight days!
“I hope people see this story as one of hope and that they see it as a lesson that if this guy can do it, so can I.”
“And it’s not just about running. It’s about whatever your dream is. I set out to do this for a couple of reasons. The one that I share with everybody wherever I am is that we all have our daily marathons. You get up in the morning and have that marathon ahead of you. Some days or marathons are going to be easier than others and some are going to be really tough. I made it. I ran my marathon.
I think everybody can see it as an example that they too can be successful in their daily marathons. I had to overcome numerous things to get there.
In the end we have to take a look at life and be open to understanding how we should live it. And we’ve got to use the most out of the gifts we’ve been given,” says Terry Hitchcock.
Running to change lives, by building schools for children without education
Joel Runyon wrote a list of things that he wanted to do, but none of them he thought he could do.
He wasn’t able to find a job, so he didn’t have the money to travel, and do what he’d like to do.
When he decided to take “Impossible” as a challenge and explore his limits, he was able to complete a triathlon, although he’d never run before.
Blogging about his list kept him accountable, and gradually his endurance and mileage grew.
In 2012 he ran an ultra marathon to raise $25,000 for a school with Pencils of Promise, to create global access to education.
Joel succeeded and continued his journey with the 777 Project.
The 777 Project is a year-long adventure to run 7 ultra marathons on 7 continents in order to raise funds & awareness to build 7 schools with Pencils of Promise (PoP). Traveling to all 7 continents and racing on every terrain and climate ranging from desert heat to Antarctic temperatures to jungles and mountains, the 777 Project covers some of the most challenging races on earth.
One of the races is the Ice Marathon 100K; a 100k ultra marathon in Union Glacier, Antarctica, 600 miles from the South Pole. The course is a 10K loop that you run 10 times run in about -10ºC temperatures.
Other races Joel completed are the Patagonia International Marathon, the Chicago 50/50 Ultra, the Narrabeen All Nighter Marathon, The North Face Thailand 50km, The Rovaniemi 66km Arctic Ultra and The Two Oceans Marathon.
“Once you start doing things you never thought you could do,
you want to give back, to be able to help other people.”
Joel Runyon
How a Nepalese ultrarunner inspires women to explore and use their potential
As the eldest daughter of five children, Mira Rai was expected to help out at home and trade rice at the market, instead of going to school. But she broke free from these traditions and became a rising star in the international ultra running world.
Her tough childhood, when she had to run up and down to carry water, was the foundation that helped to make her dream come true to become a world-recognized runner.
Mira inspires Nepalese women to explore and use their potential.
“I want women and girls in remote villages like mine to have opportunities. We need to change attitudes.” Mira says.
“A chance is like a leaf on a river,
you have to grab it quick, or it’s gone forever.”
Mira Rai, Nepalese ultrarunner
He had no daily regimen to build his stamina; just the innate desire to escape his uncle’s rule.
It carried Josia about 32km in the middle of the night, on foot, to the town of Kriel. He barely stopped running, thinking the headlights of his uncle’s truck were seconds from illuminating his stride through the dark.
Josia had nothing, no education, and discrimination was against. But he wanted to change his life and his family’s life.
He showed his commitment and he had people around him who believed in his potential. He made it to the Olympic Team and became the first black South African to win an individual gold medal.
“This is for my country. This is for my president. I’m grateful I have this opportunity.
It is an indication to others that if we work hard, all of us have equal opportunity, not like in the past.”
Josia Thugwane
Penny Heyns and the other South African medallists weren’t sure how they would be received when they returned home. “There was this expectation when we got back that white people would be happy for me, and black people would be happy for Josia,” Heyns says now. “The big surprise for both of us was that the celebration was so united. It was quite overwhelming, actually.”
“You say you’re not educated, but your feet are,” said Nelson Mandela to Josia, after his win.
Mandela saw to it that the first and only individual black gold-medallist in his nation’s history was given an English tutor thereafter, at no cost.
You just have to set a goal for what running is for you
“My running life started with a 3-mile daily route that I repeated earnestly for many months before stepping up in a distance. Once I had the confidence and tolerance, I shed my jean shorts and all their comforts for the move up to proper running shorts, and a 7-mile and eventual a 10-mile regimen,” said Hal Koerner in his Field Guide to Ultrarunning.
Hal is not just some runner. He is an Ultrarunner who loves races above the Marathon distance of 42.2K / 26.2 Miles.
Having run for 20 years while winning ca 100 races he kind of knows what he’s doing. Running became more or less his identity in many ways.
Running and winning a 100-mile race doesn’t come easy, but taking it slow can take you far!
“Running 100 miles through the mountains is pretty crazy stuff,
but that’s one more reason to go and do it.”
Hal Koerner
Total rest and proper recovery improved his speed further
At age 25, the student and runner Roger Bannister broke the unbreakable record for the mile, the seemingly insurmountable four-minute barrier.
Bannister discovered after a three day-break, that his speed had improved. He decided to add periodic total rests to his training schedule, to be able to recover properly and improve his speed further. By doing only short 30 or 45 minutes intervals four or five times a week he was able to balance his training with work and life and set a world breaking record nevertheless.
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“If you had this potential chance and you didn’t take it, you’d never forgive yourself, maybe for the rest of your life,” said his coach Frank Stampfl, on the memorable day.
Two years before, Bannister was expected to win gold at the Olympic Games in Helsinki, but came fourth. The headlines screamed he was a failure. Driven by fear to experience this again, and wanting badly to prove them wrong, he made it happen.
“The final bit is mental. I am sure of that.
The successful runner is the one who can take more out of himself than he has.”
Roger Bannister, about his four-minute mile record
Learn to be comfortable with whatever you get
The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (also referred to as UTMB) is a popular mountain ultramarathon through France, Italy and Switzerland.
It is a very challenging 166K race with numerous passages in high altitude (>2500m), in difficult weather conditions (night, wind, cold, rain or snow), that demands an intense preparation of months.
But the spectacular views, snow-covered mountaintops, and adventure are irresistible. Although it’s not easy to qualify and participate, there’s a long waiting list every year of people who love to dig deep.
Topher Gaylord, an avid ultrarunner who has entered the UTMB 10 times, says: “No matter how prepared you are, it’s always a challenge and there’s never a guaranteed outcome. But it teaches you to be calm. There’s not a lot you can do about the elements, so you have to learn to be comfortable with whatever you get.”
In 2013 Timothy Olson joined the UTMB and had to pay a high price to finish fourth: “I’ve never wanted to quit a race so bad, not because of injury — even though my left calf could not function for 3/4 of the race — but because I was so mentally and emotionally broken. During the death march from La Fouly (108k) to Champex-Lac (140k) I questioned everything. I hurt immensely, I cried, I had a conversation with a cow, I was broken beyond repair. I kept telling myself, the alleluia point would come, transcendence would ascend my crippled spirit and I would start to fly; it never came to be, but the perseverance to continue on, made the journey and finish very special.”
The following races Timothy struggled and had to scale back and re-balance. In 2017 he made a comeback, more humble and grateful than ever for whatever comes his way…. and won Penyagalosa Trails 116K in Spain.
“You really have to embrace the unknown.
You can try all you want to script it, how you see the day going and have these plans. But the mountains don’t care.
They’re indifferent to whatever plans, whatever hopes you have…”
Timothy Olson
The struggle makes you the person you want to be
Michael Wardian loves to make miles.
He just completed the 400K Ultra Trail Gobi race in China, he won the World Marathon Challenge 2017, and is average time record holder for running all six World Marathon Majors in 2016.
So at age 43, he still got the fire to challenge himself and compete, but he knows there’s always a point where it’s going to be a struggle, feeling bad, and it isn’t fun anymore. Then “You have to remind yourself that this is what you signed up for and this is what you want,” Wardian says.
At first he wasn’t good enough to make it to the local running team, but he ended up beating all the guys and competing against the best runners in the world. Although he’s a husband and dad with a fulltime job, he runs, competes and travels the world.
He says it’s something anyone can do. “If you’re consistent about your training, if you work hard and do the right things, you’ll be surprised where running can take you.”
“You’re not going to remember the races that were easy.
The struggles are part of the journey that makes you the person you want to be.”
Michael Wardian
When you become an athlete, you put age aside. You no longer age, you’re growing
Though he was successful as a track runner on High School, George Sheehan focused on his medical but strenuous career as a cardiologist. He rediscovered himself when he returned to running at age 45, and started living a more conscious, healthy and happy lifestyle.
When he ran a 4:47 mile, it was the world’s first sub-five-minute time by a 50-year-old.
He had a successful column in Runners’ World, collected in The Essential Sheehan: A Lifetime of Running Wisdom from the Legendary Dr. George Sheehan (2013) and wrote several bestsellers.
He contributed to the fitness and jogging boom in the seventies by his unique approach and focus on joy and being in the present.
He also wrote about his fight against prostate cancer, of which he eventually died, and how to make every day count.
He still inspires the growing generation of runners by the way he described the mental and physical benefits of a running lifestyle.
“Running makes you an athlete in all areas of life…
trained in the basics, prepared for whatever comes,
ready to fill each hour and deal with the decisive moment.”
George Sheehan (1918–1993), runner, author, philosopher
Move to improve
The 100 Mile Club® provides the opportunity to run or walk 100 miles at school during a school year, which improves school readiness to learn, creates better education outcomes, building self-esteem and the overall health in the lives of children and others.
Kids are motivated to stay fit by the simple goal of “winning the gold medal”, based on dedication and effort, not speed and fitness.
Whether they run, jog, or walk towards their goal, the 100 Mile Club inspires students of all abilities — athletic, non-athletic, learning disabled, handicapped — to be active in an accepting, positive environment.
“Success is trying to be the best you can be.
When trying your best, success comes your way”
Kara Lubin, founder of the 100 Mile Club
You can only give it all you got when what you do truly matters to you
Every step we take starts from something or someone that gets us excited to make that move.
Stories and race experiences from others inspire us to run and travel the world, and teach us how to prepare for the unexpected and not give up.
All these heroes run for something bigger than themselves. They run for a better world and a better life for others, whether it’s hope, education, nature, freedom, health or equity.
It’s the adventure, the unknown, that fascinates. It’s the deep desire to progress and change that get’s us started. But it’s the motivation and support that keeps us going, to get the practice and experience we need to succeed.
Sharing our journey keeps us accountable and makes it more likely to achieve our goal. And when we reach that goal we start believing in bigger goals, which inspire others to dream big and take action too.
My way to turn challenge into change
While training for Javelina Jundred (my first 100 mile race), I think of all these stories of struggle, progress, and achievement.
They refresh me and make the heat bearable when I’m running in 89°Fahernheit (32°C) with 6 layers of warm clothes, to train for the desert.
They comfort me when I feel discomfort. They motivate me and give me a feeling of camaraderie and support. They remind me of my reason to start this journey and why I want to run 100 miles in the hot Arizona desert.
They make me humble and keep me focused and determined. They make me grateful for every step of the way.
That’s why I collect and share these stories, so they can inspire and motivate you too.
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RESOURCES / FURTHER READING
Terry Hitchcock: 75 marathons in 75 days
The 777 Project
Nepali trail runner Mira Rai
Josia Thugwane, first and forgotten black South African Olympian winner who brought black and white together
“I gave it everything”: Sir Roger Bannister marks 60 years since his record
The rise of the ultramarathon
Mindful moutain runner Timothy Olson about his UTMB 2013
How Michael Wardian balances running as a pro, traveling, being a dad and working fulltime
George Sheehan, father of the running culture
100 Mile Club: Healthy, happy, connected kids by running at school
Originally published at Running Your Life.
