If you’ve ever felt lazy or just plain sorry for yourself, as we all have at one point or another, try watching the Hawaii Ironman on television. As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, it’s an incredibly inspirational bit of television that just as often as not, has little to do with the winners or potential winners of the race. If you look at the champions and think you have nothing in common with them and could never achieve what they do every day, perhaps you’re right. But there’s also a number of other people who will complete the same race that you probably don’t have much in common with either – like the 80 year old grandmother or double leg amputee.
One of the best stories of that ilk is that of Team Hoyt. If you haven’t seen this one yet, prepare to be inspired… or perhaps shamed into getting your lazy butt off the couch. I think it’s really important for athletes to see stories like this as well to appreciate where sport fits into the big picture and the great venue sport can be for life’s lessons. It’ll also make you a heck of a lot less likely to complain about a blister or some of the other inconveniences of being an athlete.
Click here for your reality check:
[...] That’s another fantastic link from Sport At Its Best – Team Hoyt [...]
I have watched Team Hoyt complete the Ironman in Hawaii, and yes it is amazing to see what can be done if we really want to do something.
I ran in the Boston Marathon in 2008, and at some point on the course I caught up to Team Hoyt. The people watching the race from the side of the street were clapping and cheering, the runners including myself were clapping and cheering (as bet we could) team Hoyt as we all moved down the road, it was incredible. This is one of my favorite memories from that day. Team Hoyt makes me want to be a better father to my own son and show him that anything is possible.