Entrepreneurs are like Ironman - Ordinary People, Extraordinary Feats

My first experience at a triathlon event was quite odd, it was a short-distance one, the water was stinky, I was ill-prepared both physically and gear-wise, and yet, it was addictive.

After all these years and now retired after having banked 10 finishes of the Half Ironman-distance triathlon at the Busselton Festival of Triathlon , despite the litres of swallowed salt water, the many flat bike tyres and the kilometres run over blisters, I would have done it all over again.

"mens sana in corpore sano", used to express the theory that physical exercise is an important or essential part of mental and psychological well-being, was first used with this meaning in 1861 by the Englishman John Hulley as a motto for his sportsmen

To those unfamiliar, the Half Ironman-distance triathlon race - like this one that has been happening in Busselton, Western Australia - is made of competitors traversing 1.9 km by water, 90.1 km on top of a bike and a final 21.1 km course by running.

To call it a challenge wouldn’t do it justice. Particularly considering that the vast majority of the competitors are not athletes, but instead, ordinary people who can not excuse themselves from having a go at something that seems impossible.

The challenging nature of this course gives it, however, a series of similarities with another monumental undertaking pursued by thousands of women and men that are no softer than iron: Entrepreneurship.

As a result, Ironman - both women and men - and entrepreneurs share a series of virtues between each other.

These being on my own reflections:

Purpose

If you ask a competitor at Ironman triathlons why they’re doing what they're doing, you will get a diverse range of answers, going from “for the challenge” to “for heath reasons”, or simply “because it’s fun”.

Every athlete has a why, as does every entrepreneur.

An entrepreneur’s “why” can be the desire to change the world, or to be their own boss, or to provide something to which they had no access as they grew up, it can even be just a general desire for financial stability, but no one starts a business on a whim.

This purpose acts as the northern star in both endeavours, it is the thing which both athletes and startup venturers repeat to themselves every day, and it is the chasing of this profound purpose that enables them to achieve the seemingly impossible.

Toughness

How do you train yourself to bike for 90 kilometres without breaking your stride?

You start by riding ten kilometres one day, then eleven, then twelve. And if you eventually find yourself unable to go beyond thirteen, you keep trying until you break that ceiling.

Likewise, an entrepreneur’s journey is marked by the constant struggle to reach a new landmark that is further than their previous one and once they reach a barrier, they are?compelled to break it.

Triathletes and entrepreneurs are constantly striving to overcome their current limitations and surpass them, but more than that, they are defined by this struggle.

Solidarity

Despite participating in an individual event, these athletes have this deep sense of companionship among themselves, and are constantly ushering each other on their road to self-improvement.

They also have a deep sense of sportsmanship that puts companionship above the competition, to the point where even if there is only one first place, several small victories happen through people sharing support, advice and kindness.

Entrepreneurship is like this as well, no business can lift itself by its shoestrings and must exist as part of something much bigger to succeed, an ecosystem, it needs partners, clients and promoters. A business, much like a triathlon, is made by the community.

Humility

Failure is a teacher.

And both Ironman athletes and Entrepreneurs need to do an awful lot of learning in order to reach their desired goal without being disheartened or giving up, which is just as hard as it sounds.

This involves a lot of the toughness we talked about before, but also a great deal of humility to acknowledge you weren’t born knowing everything you needed to know in order to see this journey through, and that it will take a long time before you make it.

Out of all similarities, between triathletes and entrepreneurs, this is for me the most pivotal in determining one’s grade of success, to be humble, to recognise your limits, to embrace your mistakes as lessons, and to accept the advice of those who have committed the same mistakes before.

A virtue that both triathletes and entrepreneurs tend to have in loads.

Pride

To say that entrepreneurs and Ironman finishers are both proud of their achievements is not calling them arrogant.

It means that they have employed a massive amount of effort, beyond the average you would expect from the large majority, and now get to rejoice in their accomplishments.

And why wouldn’t they?

If you can run for more than twenty kilometres after a load of swim and ride without giving up, you ought to feel proud, just as much as you would if the company you created was the major supplier for plumbing services in your town.

To be proud means that you are in full ownership of your accomplishments and that you are happy for them.

To be proud also means that you acknowledge that none of them - ventures or Ironman finishes - would never be possible with the sacrifice of those around you, particularly your loved ones, who with no exception have made compromises to support you. It is to be proud and grateful for having them.

Conclusion

Do you know why I was able to find so many similarities between these personas?

Because both have gone on a journey of transformation that took place inside and outside themselves.

This process transformed their minds and bodies, but most importantly, it changed what they saw as possible or impossible, they have gone beyond, and it shows.

The prize of going beyond is that they can live their lives to the fullest, they have changed the game for themselves and others, it is the joy of crossing the finishing line with a smile, knowing it was earned through tears and sweat.