COVID-19: Should Ironman African Championship and The Cape Epic have been cancelled?

It is massive shock to all the athletes taking part in the two races; whether they were Amateurs or Professionals.

Now when it comes to cancelling events, most school kids would be incredibly excited that their school is shout down and they get to stay at home.

General sporting events; rugby, cricket and golf for example being cancelled isn’t great but the disappointment factor isn’t as intense as The Ironman or The Epic.

Take an A-Type personality who has committed themselves to an endurance race, whether that being Ironman or the Epic. They’ve decided that they are going to participate in the race, they’ve bought an entry ticket long in advance, they’ve preceded to train anywhere from 6 months to a year for one of these events. They have made massive sacrifices along the journey to get themselves ‘race-ready’; missing birthdays, dinners and work, to name a few. They would have trained during the holidays, had to wake up before sunrise, go to bed late and bank hours and hours to be told at the last few moments before the race; “sorry your race is cancelled”, is rather heartbreaking!

Then there are all the costs; race-entry, equipment, nutrition, accommodation, flights, you name it. Don’t also forget they most probably have friends and family members who were joining as spectators to watch; after all how could you possibly get through such a tough journey without your support from friends and family?

There is such a mixed view on whether the races should or shouldn’t have been cancelled. Half of the views are completely in favour of the race being cancelled and the other half are up in arms about it!

I am not here to tell you whether the race should or shouldn’t take place, but rather how you as an athlete need to deal with the situation, because unfortunately there is nothing you can do about it.

Dealing with Disappointment; that’s what it’s all about.

Let’s start off here with asking a question, why did you enter the race in the first place?

Was it a bet you lost? Some comradery amongst friends? In aid of a charity? In aid of a sick family member? Overcoming your own illness or limit of some sort? Just to be healthy?

Everyone has a reason that they were preparing to take on this mountain of a challenge, everyone is fighting their demands, everyone has something to prove.

And now? Is it all lost in vein?

I am sure there are different emotions one feels, at first anger would have spiked; “I mean how could the race organisers do such a thing? Do they know what I’ve been through to get here? Who’s going to refund me for my air ticket and accommodation?” These are all valid emotions to go through with something like this.

Canceling a race like this is such a disappointment for sure, but let’s think about this

level-headed. Hours and hours of training and sacrifices have gone into it.

What’s the main reason one exercises and enters a race? Isn’t it to live a healthy and fit life?

Well no matter what, every single person along the way has bettered themselves because of their journey. Every athlete is now fitter than what they were at the start of their journey. They are fitter, stronger and hopefully faster than they were when they entered the race which is what it’s all about.

No, there will be no medal at the end of the finish line, well at least not for now.

No, this isn’t a bad dream you are going to wake up from tomorrow.

I want you all the remember something very important; the goal of anything in life is not the goal but the person you become along the journey. You’ve done all the hard work, you’ve logged the kilometers/the hours/lost the weight/gained the muscle; you’ve bettered yourself, you’ve taken your body to another level. You won’t be able to race and see what you can do with all your training, but the training and the journey is the hardest part. The race is the reward and the easy part.

So what now?

Give up, throw in the towel?

No, because someone that does an Ironman or an Epic is not a quitter.

There are always bumps along the way. Do you think you were going to have a perfect race without anything going wrong? These endurance races teach you throughout the journey that obstacles happen and you have to deal with them throughout your training and even on the race; flat tires, broken bikes, illnesses, there’s always a hurdle and you need to overcome them. This is just another hurdle.

In life, very few things are guaranteed except for Death and Taxes. Anything could possibly happen to you at any second of the day at any moment.

To truly live, you need to be grateful for each and every day; grateful that you’ve come this far; that you have been able to train, become so healthy, been able to use your legs, your arms and your body because there are so many people out there who would have loved to be in your situation, but don’t have the ability to do what you do. There have been people who have passed away during these events and people who have passed away training for these events; they are unfortunately not here to write their story anymore and we will remember them and we will race for them.

Yes, for those Professional athletes this is your job and this is what pays the bills. But would you rather have the opportunity to come back and compete again? Because do you know what? You’ve banked those hours, you’re better because of it, no one can take that away from you, no-one! Your base is higher for you to take your body to the next level at the next event.

Because if these races weren’t stopped and this virus spreads, as so many say it will, there will be no races in the future, no you, no me, no best friend, no husband, no wife, no child, no parent. That’s it, gone; and then how little did one race really mean?

Be grateful every day for what you have because yesterday is history, its done; tomorrow is a mystery, we don’t know what is in store for us and today is a gift and that is why it is called the present so, make the most of it!

Keep going, keep training and most importantly stay safe out there!

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