Thursday, April 4, 2013

Finish what you start. The only way to be somebody.


I have had much time to think during the race, so no detail is missing: At 8:20 I take out my bike of the car, I check it and I go to the square of viladecavalls.

 30 minutes before the start of the race I start to warm up and prepare mentally on the race. "This is yours, you can win in your category".

The whistle sounds, the race begins , I go like an arrow and I take the first place, even I run away from other contestants, there are a lot of distance between me and the second.
 

I just do not understand very well, this is a really important race, it is plenty of professional athletes. It was a matter of time understanding why this leisurely rhythm of the other competitors. At km three begins what many people would think it is climbing, small mountains of three meters with slopes between 60% and 70%, logs and boulders to jump, rivers to cross… it is pure mountain. In those three miles I lose about 20 positions. I arrive to the bike transition pretty tired and with stiff legs; as usual I take the transition with calm.

In the first km of mountain bike, I brake my shift-bike, I can’t continue the race, my bike is broken.

I reach the first checkpoint and I reviewed the bike with some cyclists who did not belong to the race. I cannot do anything to fix the bike, I'd better leave.

 "! What rage I wake early in the morning, I drive 40 minutes to see this shit of village "

 I take out courage of my hart and I decided to continue the next 20 km running with the bike next to me. Assistants of the checkpoint remind me I'm not quite right of my mind.
"Tu no estàs molt bé del cap nanu" (Catalan- “You are mad boy”)

"Well, I'll be last"

The important thing is not to participate, this is a story that told to the kids who do not never win. The important thing is to finish. If you do not finish, you have not participated. (Each one adapts the story to like him better come to it).

Kilometer 7. With apologies, but fuck up all the forest viladecavalls, not excluding even a single tree or a stone. My legs are very stiff, the 5.5 kilometers were roads that would slide a goat and a cow would not pass. A lot of cyclists scream to me because of being too slow (of course I’m going slowly, I’m running with a bike in my back).

I realize that I left my camel back in the transition box, I'm dehydrated and I have no water. This is being so difficult.

Kilometer 10. I begin to see people leaving, usually punctures and ramps in their twins. But there was some joker who put the typical excuse.

"Buah dude, I’m waiting to a friend"

"What’s going on?, I’m injured"

I want to highlight a comment:

“What’s up¡, yesterday I smoke too much”

The gates of heaven open and appear two angels with trumpets, a cyclist have dropped the can of liquid, I drink entirely in 10 seconds, big mistake, then I return the water to the mountain, but with some add more.

 Kilometer 12. Attendees of the race should be telecommunications engineers, I say this because when asked "How long to the third part of the race?", I received the following answers:

Assistant 1: 4 kilometers

Assistant 3 (3 meters from other ): There are 10.

Assistant 4 (500 meters of the others): It depends on how fast you go (this is from NASA)

Assistant 5 (3 meters 4): gogogo you are almost there (this is a liar).

 Kilometer 18. I start dizzying, vomiting, keys and foot injuries, dehydration, muscle completely stiff, very angry... just two kilometers to the last part, I have to do it. It is important to say that I’m the last of the race.

 Kilometer 20. I reach the second part, I have just three kilometers running without the bike.

I left the bike without the helmet, which upsets a assistant (as according to the rules you cannot have unbuckled helmet bike while you're touching your bike).

" Lady please, I am the last, who cares? "

 "Do it what I said now "

 "ouu, because some stone can fall to my head?" I said ironically

 "What a fuck do you thing do you are ? where is your dorsal ? "     (I broke it by the way)

"It must be in your p..."

I start runnin and I ignore what she is shouting. She couldn’t disqualify me because she didn’t have my dorsal number.

 I run the last 3 km with many problems. I pick up my bike and I go home.

 It was a hell, I was the last classified. But nobody would have done what I did; 20 km running with a bike plus 10 without bike just for finish what I started. That’s the only way to be the best.

 

3 comments:

  1. Dear Iron Black Shield, this is an intriguing story! I absolutely loved reading it. Is it really possible for someone to complete a race with pure courage like this?

    I like the way you tell the story in such a sparse clear style.

    I want to have this kind of courage, and persistence to complete the challenges I have chosen in my life.

    I do have some confusion and I hope you can clarify it for me. Is this your story? Is it somebody else's? Is it imaginary?

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  2. Dear HALLELUJAH TRUTH. Thanks for your comment, I really apreciatte it. This history happened to me more than one year ago. Photos, comments... all is true.

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  3. You have a lot of amazing experiences to share!

    ReplyDelete