I Am Not Iron Man

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hang out at the finish line of an Ironman Triathlon that took place in Boulder. Though I don’t often say this, I found myself moved by the experience. And I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one. There was an unmistakable aura of euphoria and triumph around the finish line for all of the participants who were able to complete the entire competition.

Why? Well, if you know anything about triathlons, especially the Ironman category, you know it is a grueling experience. Participants start with a 2.4 mile swim, then head off on a 112 mile bike ride, and finish with a 26.2 mile run. Certainly not an experience for the faint of heart.

Some of the participants are professionals, who make a living competing in this type of extreme challenge. They are certainly to be admired. But the pros weren’t the ones who really impressed me. The vast majority of competitors (there were more than 2,500 participants from 33 different countries) were not professional athletes. You could see this in the widely varying body types of the participants. They are the ones that filled me with awe.

Why were so many of us spectators so impressed? Well, because only a very few of us are in the position to make the commitment so we can honestly say “I Am Iron Man” (or Woman).

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For those few who can claim to being made of iron, getting to the point of participating, and finishing, the triathlon took a tremendous amount of commitment. You can’t just decide to run a race like this the day before and expect to do well. Hours and hours and hours of training are required – training that cuts into opportunities to engage in other activities. And the many of the non-pros had to recruit their own volunteer support crews to make sure that everything was ready for the monumental undertaking, as well as to pay for their own travel, lodging, registration, and other expenses.

As someone who has never, and has no plans to ever, participate in an Ironman Triathlon, I can’t say I know exactly what motivates the participants. But I can (and do) marvel at their commitment, and look to them as an inspiration for the work we do at Imagine!. We need that kind of commitment here. That drive to give everything we have to give so that the individuals we serve may become more self reliant and more fully engaged in their communities. We could do a lot worse than to look at the Iron Men and Woman of the world as inspiration to embrace and drive opportunity to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Then again, what do I know?