SUSO

Balance = Power

Changing 'I can't' for 'I can' opened up a world of possibility for the UK's leading lady of endurance. 

"Sport has a tremendous power – and can be a force for considerable change. I feel very strongly that as a professional triathlete my impact and message should be wider than my performance on the race course, and last longer than my athletic career." Chrissie Wellington, 3 x World Ironman Champion

Four years ago Chrissie Wellington was asked whether she would ever do an Ironman. Her response? ‘No way, you must be completely mad to do something like that!’

But then in her own words, she changed ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’.  Then with support and mentoring from coaches, friends and family she found a new innner belief, she dared to push herself harder than ever before and in doing so she made her new dreams a reality.

In the early hours of Saturday morning UK time, Chrissie Wellington claimed her third straight Ironman title in a record time at the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.  Her final time of 8:54:02 for the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile marathon was nearly 20 minutes faster than second placed Australia’s Mirinda Carfrae and broke Paula Newby-Fraser’s mark of 8:55:28 set in 1992 (herself a legend having won this event 8 times).  To further put Chrissie's performance into context, on a near windless day where the heat radiated off the pavement and the ink black, sun-baked lava fields, she finished 23rd overall out of 164 pros and a further 1800 competitors from 58 countries, 'chicking' (as is the expression in this brutal sport) a large number of professional male athletes on the day!  

The thing is, for Chrissie her will to win is not just born of a competitive spirit.  For her there is a higher agenda, a higher purpose to it all. A balance that she needs to reach and maintain in her life if she is to continue to tap into her inner power and go on scaling the sporting heights in this the toughest of them all.

Chrissie is outspoken and passionate in here her belief that, as a star triathlete, it is her duty to use that elevated status to inspire others and support good causes.

In a sport that has long suggested that to be a great you have to be either a little loopy or highly selfish and ego-centric , Chrissie has found a way to balance the selfishness required to achieve her athletic goals, alongside sufficient time management needed to focus on promoting wider causes she believes in.  With this approach she has brought support to a number of worthy causes (see these here on her website), one of which stands out as etched in her own image.  GOTribal is a social development initiative that Chrissie believes passionately in.  On her website she tells us "We cannot do it all alone.  GOTribal aims to encourage and help people around the world, particularly women, raise their own bar that little bit higher - providing them with a cocoon of support in which they can grow, flourish and become the athletes that they never thought they could be. And like a snowball the aintention is that a ‘pay it forward’ support process will roll around the world, growing and building as it gathers energy and momentum: building bridges, breaking down barriers, inspiring confidence, encouraging participation and enabling people to realise their dreams. No matter who they are."

This balance between selfish sporting application and an unselfish contribution to social development brings with it an inner peace that clearly sits well with Chrissie Wellington and powers her to a special place in pursuit of her triathlon goals.

The result in 2009 was a woman who would not be denied a world record she obviously had the talent to reach. This her sixth consecutive victory at an Ironman event.  She remains unbeaten and from the small clip below, in her attitude and approach it is easy to see why..

Already a much loved athlete in the triathlon scene, and a strong candidate for Sports Personality of the Year 2009 (if only the UK really knew the story) the last words are left to Chrissie, "We all have our own personal barriers, be they mental or physical. We are all nervous about trying new things and giving ourselves bigger mountains to climb. We all worry about the ‘what if’s’. And, of course, we are all scared about being seen in public wearing lycra…But in reality there are no limits to what you can achieve, in sport and outside. Only the limits you place on yourself. So whether it is a walk, a 5km run or an Ironman, if you have faith in yourself and a support network around you, those colossal mountains can truly feel like mole hills once you have scaled them."

We couldn't agree more.

Categories Sport Tags Sport Drama

By Juan on 12/10/09