WHY I BECAME AN IRONMAN.

And why you should too.

With 232 km banked for the day and legs that would prefer to be amputated than move another centimeter, I crossed the beautiful Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the final time.

I am overcome with a burst of energy with about 600 meters between me and the finish line. I talk with the small group I’ve been using to get me through this run and realize I am coming up on 14 hours. The plan was to just get it done but at this point the last thing I wanted to see was a 14 in front of my name at the iconic Ironman arch. I tell my new comrades that I have to go and save my ego, but it was nice to meet them. 

Now, I can say it was the greatest accomplishment of my life and I can say it is unlike any other feeling to know you are fit enough for an Ironman. I can say that the mental strength needed to finish one is the biggest factor or I can say it’s about the bragging rights. But the reason I had to do an Ironman was to show myself I was capable of consistently sticking to something.

I have struggled my whole life with consistent effort. To say I didn’t try in school is an understatement. This definitely translated to most aspects of my life whether that be relationships, sports, or work. Now that is probably a deeper fundamental issue that we won’t dive into but with that said, I was on a grind to prove to myself that I could care. I needed to  show that I could care about work, my health, my future. Not for anyone else but myself.

In the year prior I had been working harder than ever, hungry for opportunities and challenges to start getting some actual growth in my life. This is when Jamie Parker (best friend and fellow Hummingbird co-founder), says one day that we should do an Ironman. 

“Yeah I’m down”. I replied without hesitation.

An Ironman had been in the back of my mind since my dad had finished one in 2017 and like I said, I’m up for a challenge. Fast forward 5 months and we are in the absolute depths of training, riding 130+km and running 25+km every weekend for a good 6 weeks. Pro tip: race day was fun compared to the training.

One thing that stood out to me at the pre-race meetings was the MC saying to all the first timers - You’ll be back for more. This is a lifestyle. I wasn’t so sure at the time but here we are 6 months post race, Ironmen at 24 and 26, training every day and continuously signing up for more.

A lifestyle indeed. Do it for your physical fitness, do it for your mental fitness, and do it for the bragging rights.

But if there's one thing I hope to convince you of - It’s to do it to prove to yourself that you can do anything.

You deserve it.