IRONMAN taught me that life is an endurance race...let's do it together!

Have you ever dreamed of being an Ironman? I sure have! I mean, not seriously, as in actually swimming 3.8 km, cycling 180 km and running a marathon thereafter. There is no way I could! I am not very sporty and I have little athletic endurance. But every year, when I watch them, I dream that I would be able to do something amazing like this. I admire the athletes and wonder...would I ever get to the finish line if I tried? Ironman is coming up in Port Elizabeth and this year, if you are watching it, I want you to have a brand new point of view, so READ ON and see how you can become an Ironman! 

One year, while I was sitting at the finish line and day dreaming, waiting for the winner to come in, it suddenly occurred to me - my life, anyone's life, is an endurance race from start to finish, very much like Ironman! Not sure if you agree? Have a look at what Wikipedia has to say about "endurance": the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from and have immunity to trauma, wounds or fatigue. Sound familiar? Boy! I sure have had to remain active for long periods of time and I have had to withstand and recover from my fair share of trauma, wounds and fatigue also. So, I might be closer to being an Ironman than I thought, just by being a mom! If you allow me, I would like to share with you my picture summary and "point of view" on the incredible race day of an Ironman.

Race start! Masses of eager athletes and all kinds of athletes - professionals, amateurs, women and men and people of all kinds of nationalities. They are eager to start, no matter how grueling the day might be. In "real life" thousands of babies are also starting their "race" every day, they are eager to start their journey, anxiously awaited and carefully watched by their parents who, similar to the crew in the life saving boat here, are always on standby. Babies and toddlers are eager to learn new things every day even if they swallow water hundreds of times, they are all built and encouraged to get through the "water stage" of their life...

Water is tough, but water is also easy. The water is where most swimmers follow, only few of them actually lead the way. On top of that they are guided by watchful rescuers who already set out the limits and boundaries for them. These are definitely our childhood years! During childhood and as teens few of us lead, most of us just follow and we are safely guided by our parents and teachers who set out many boundaries around us for our own good. Whether we appreciate it or not, this is indeed the "sunrise of our lives"...! We might decide the speed we are going at and how much effort we put into our race and we might even decide who we travel with, but if we want to finish the race in good shape, we would do well to stay on the given path and pace ourselves... 

First transition! The Ironman participants are transiting in this area from swimming to the bikes and some of them struggle to get out of their wet suits, but it always seems to help if they are cheered on by the fans. Similarly, there are many transitions in everyone's life. Some are easier than others. We change from Primary School to High School and then perhaps to University. We get jobs, we get married, we have children and eventually we transit into retirement and all of these transitions can be a little difficult. Good to know that we are not alone! Other people are either making the transition with us or are watching and hopefully cheering us on.

Those spectators are truly invaluable to us! Especially if they are of the cheering kind. Good friends will always encourage us and walk with us, especially when times get rough! I once read a quote from an unknown author who said: "Spend your time with those who love you unconditionally, not with those who love you only when the condition is right for them." How true! The lady on the right, she is an incredible cheer leader and that's the kind of friend I would love to be! She not only made the ride a little easier for the guy, she even put a smile on his face for a little while during an uphill stage of his race.

On the bike the Ironman contestants complete a laborious distance of 180 kilometers and the ride can indeed be demanding, especially if you don't only carry your own weight. Adulthood, it appears to me now, can, at times, be a long and strenuous ride also. Some of us choose to ride with someone else and perhaps we choose to have children, but no matter how you choose to journey, we all have to finish our own personal race. An Ironman athlete often cycles to places where there is no crowd cheering him on and there are times in adulthood that seem a little lonely too, especially as a stay-at-home mom. On top of that if you add children to the mix, your ride can become somewhat of a balancing act! But hang in there Ironmom for...this too shall pass! 

There are always hidden treasures on our journey, we just have to spot them along the way! Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit, to guide you and comfort you when you need extra strength! Don't be too busy to notice His gentle reminders, like this awesome rainbow I spotted during the race. It might be His way to remind you to enjoy the ride and spend some time with Him! Another thing that I have noticed, is that there is a very special "team spirit" in an Ironman event. Athletes never seem to judge each other! They encourage and cheer each other on all the time. The only ones that seem to be doing any judging are the bystanders who themselves are not doing much at all. So if you are feeling a little judged today in your life, don't worry, just remind yourself that unlike the "bystanders", you are an athlete  and on the way to your finish line!


Yes, the race gets more grueling when it comes to the run. After an almost 4km swim and 180km of cycling, another 42km of running can suddenly seem very trying indeed. This final third part of the race is where you need even more endurance and you need to know by now that you are never alone! The body is a bit more tired now but the race is far from finished and if you don't replenish, you will wear out. These are our "senior years" and yes they can be demanding, but oh, it is so very important not to give up! God wants each of us to keep a good spirit and have faith all the way to the finish line! I have come to know God as the most supporting spectator ever and since I have finally started to listen, I often hear Him whispering "you can do it" to me. Especially, during a run. During the later stages of the Ironman race, there are "official people" handing out refreshments along the way and I have started to interpret these pit-stops as "still waters", places where God leads me beside peaceful streams and renews my strength as is written in Psalm 23. Without them, I know I wouldn't make it through my race days.

The good news? Everyone who finishes the race is a winner!! No matter what position or in what amount of time you "come in". There are even different races for different age groups or gender. The Irongirl race is a 10km race for ladies and the day before Ironman there is usually an Ironkids event. The Ironkids event is very special. The kids are asked to swim and run, but they are not competing against a clock, just against the distance itself. As long as they finish, they get a medal and I believe it is meant to invoke a special love for the race. For me, the Ironkids event symbolizes the special love Jesus has for children, their pains and their victories. I believe that in God's kingdom, it doesn't matter how old you are when you cross the finish line and how far you have run - everyone gets a medal and everyone gets celebrated in the end!


I have watched many athletes come through the finish line and I have noticed that for every athlete, there are people waiting behind the finish line. Sometimes it's family or friends and sometimes it is a bunch of "paparazzi" that are eagerly awaiting the runner to come in. Occasionally it's even the event organizers themselves. But it doesn't really matter who is waiting, what matters is that the athlete is being applauded and praised. I believe that behind everyone's "finish line" there are some family members and friends waiting for them, people or even "paparazzi angels" who had their eyes pinned on the "athlete" throughout their "race" or lifetime and are now eagerly waiting for him or her to come home...

...and having passed through the finish line, this is their time to celebrate and get a much needed embrace! This is where every athlete gets a much needed and well deserved rest and can exchange his or her story with other athletes and "Ironfans" that have crossed their own finish line already.

Having watched Ironman almost all day, this is the Scripture that came to mind:

"...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT

And who could possibly better illustrate it than these kids?!?

On a sadder note...during the race day I spotted a woman, dejected and crying, because she had missed the bike cut-off time by only 10 minutes! I felt sorry for her, especially because she looked so inconsolable and it reminded me of another cut-off time. In our lifetime there is no real intermittent cut-off time to get out of the water and onto the bike. Everyone grows up at their own pace and getting married or having children can nowadays be done later than ever. Even the retirement age seems to change steadily upwards. Everyone is born into this race called "life" and everyone has a finish line up ahead, but the bible says that in the end there will be a cut-off time and we must decide before Jesus comes back how we run and who we will be running towards. What will it say above your finish line? You decide! Now, that might be a little "deep" and too much for you right now, but I want to encourage you to think about it while you keep running. Ironmen know what finish line they will be crossing and I firmly believe that the race and all its sufferings don't count nearly as much to them as actually making it across the finish line! So, if you get tired, take a rest, by all means! After all, Jesus promised us "still waters", but please - never stop running, never give up!

Can you tell me another race that more beautifully depicts our journey here on Earth and our transition into Heaven? I can't, but I can tell you this: Ironman must be what God always had and still has in mind for us - endurance, camaraderie and compassion. Those are some of the corner stones of Christianity and if you haven't put your name down yet to join the Christian race - do it soon! Because He is waiting for YOU.

What an amazing day it was, watching the Ironman race! I went back later, just before midnight, to see who would make it across the finish line last. Everyone there was feverishly waiting for just one more and I got a real sense that Jesus is standing and waiting behind the finish line too. Hoping that just one more will choose to run His race and make it across the finish line as His adopted child. And that's the only reason I wrote this post. But Paul has a better way of saying it: "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace." Acts 20:24 NIV

So, whoever you are, I cheer you on, no matter where you are in your life! Keep going! One day YOU will be an Ironman! Perhaps, just like me, not the athletic kind, but the kind that will be crossing HIS finish line! And to all the men and women who will soon line up at the start of this year's Ironman race, I want to say: please remember you are not only doing this for yourself, you are also doing this to give us hope! Hope that we too can achieve something like this one day! It is an incredible effort that you are making, but it shows in just one short day, that all of us can make it to our own finish line, all we have to do is hang in there, persevere and run at our own pace!

HAVE A wonderfully inspired WEEK and don't forget to watch and support the IRONMEN!

(All photos are mine or courtesy of Nadine Engler.)