Chapter 32: Our strength is made perfect in weakness. (Corinthians 12:9)

“Cycling never gets easier, you just go faster.” Greg Lemond 3 x Tour De France Champion

Socrates was famously quoted as saying - “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which the body is capable.”

Our bodies are, in part, governed by the inheritance of our genetics. It is very unlikely that I would have ever become an Olympic weightlifter with the body composition and genetics I inherited from my parents.

This insignificant fact does not for one second though preclude me benefiting from lifting weights!

Our bodies are incredible, they truly are, and we only limit their ability with our own beliefs about our capability. In truth everyone is capable of greatness which does not need attaching to competition or medals. Climbing a mountain (or a hill), paddling a river (or a pond), completing a marathon (or a 5k park run) or committing to a long walk like the pilgrimage to Santiago De Compostela in Northern Spain (or walking to the shops). No matter your current situation or condition you can make positive steps forward, no matter the size of the step just commit to moving forwards and take positive action.

Occasionally, when considering physical capability, we focus on Olympians and World Champions, but there are amazing examples of athletes achieving goals previously thought impossible, that are not necessarily Olympians as such.

It only takes the resolute belief of one person, with the courage to follow their dream, to firstly challenge then change a collective paradigm forever.

One of my favourite examples of one person challenging and changing a collective paradigm is that of the incredible Chris Nikic from Florida. Chris is a 21-year-old triathlete, who happens to have Down’s Syndrome, who, in 2020 became the first person with Down’s Syndrome to finish the gruelling Ironman distance triathlon - in truth he was the first to enter an Ironman also. He finished the final element, the 26 mile marathon, with 16 minutes spare wearing a t-shirt with '1% better' on the front, the philosophy his father had imparted with him throughout his life.

1% gains consistently will eventually arrive you at your dreams.

The official Ironman twitter account tweeted “You have shattered barriers while proving without a doubt that anything is possible.”

Wherever you are today reading this, whatever your situation or condition you find yourself in, do not concern yourself with what you cannot do, focus only on what you can do – then do it with the purpose of Chris Nikic!!