Goal-Setter vs. Goal-Getter - Nelida Ruiz Consulting

What’s the biggest goal you’ve ever challenged yourself with? They’re called stretch goals. And while achievable in theory, they’re a stretch. This past weekend, I went to Lake Placid to watch and photograph the athletes competing in the IRONMAN triathlon. Clearly, competing in an endurance competition like the IRONMAN is the ultimate stretch goal.

The IRONMAN is aptly named. Athletes have 17 hours to complete a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon in that order. The official rules for the marathon state: “Athletes may run, walk, or crawl.” This is serious business. Swim, Bike, Run is the unofficial motto of triathletes. But the rules are sobering. Crawling is a real possibility at the end.

Commitment

When you make a commitment to participate in a competition like the IRONMAN, you are committing yourself to countless hours of physical and mental conditioning. There are more tests of endurance before the competition than the day of. It’s the sacrifices, endurance, and commitment that come before the race that determine, in part, how the day will end for each person.

Sure, there are outside factors like weather, nutrition, equipment, illness, and injury. But it’s ultimately your conditioning, your decisions, and the sacrifices you’ve made during the six months of your training that ultimately determine your finish time or whether you finish at all. Competing in the IRONMAN, like any other major goal, involves a long series of decisions and actions. One two-time Ironman reflected on her prior experience racing, “You just focus on the next fifteen minutes and what you have to do.”

Preparation & Training

This grueling hill on Route 75 is just one of several through the Adirondacks on the IRONMAN course.

By race day, the athletes are so attuned to their training that they can predict with amazing accuracy when they’ll complete each phase of the competition. In our case, we knew within 20 minutes or so when to watch for a particular cyclist to ride by, once then twice, on the cycling loop. The official IRONMAN app also handily provides an athlete tracker. We picked a spot, three-quarters of the way from the top of a grueling hill on the course—just one of several that riders take on through a total elevation gain of 4,182 feet over the course through the Adirondack mountains.

We set up a speaker to play a soundtrack of inspirational tunes from Queen to Coolio. We shook cowbells and whooped our support as riders passed. First came the male professionals competing for a purse, heads down in the zone, barely acknowledging the sudden noise from the small group randomly positioned on the side of the road course. Then came female professionals, and the women in our crew shouted our support even more loudly.

While the professionals left us in awe, the amateurs made the experience more relatable. The age brackets for IRONMAN go all the way up to 90+, and there were times we swiveled to spot an athlete’s age inked on the back of his left calf as he rode past. One man helpfully stated, “79 and still going strong,” as he passed us. I wonder how many times he repeated that statement to himself and anyone listening throughout the day.

Support

Some thanked us for being there, some bopped their heads to the beat of the music, and some raised an arm to pump their fists in the air in perfect rhythm. Nearly all of them smiled. Three-quarters of the way up a relentless incline, they smiled at a group of six strangers who had gathered to cheer them on. They were nowhere near the finish line with an 11-mile climb and a marathon still ahead of them. They had tens of miles to travel on their own power, alone with their thoughts and in pain. And they smiled. Why?

Rochester area resident and newly minted IRONMAN, Eric Miller, waves to his hometown supporters.

I imagine for two reasons. First, they were doing it. They were undoubtedly in the midst of one of the biggest challenges of their lives, and they were doing it. Goal setting is one thing. But goal getting is another. Goal getting creates confidence, a sense of accomplishment and motivation for doing more. And second, they were smiling at the unexpected support of strangers and new friends who waited until the last rider had passed.

At the IRONMAN finish line, the announcer calls the name of each finisher as they cross. But that’s not all. Whether you’re a man or a woman, after your name, he adds, “You are an IRONMAN.”

To anyone out there stretching yourself to accomplish your goals, I wish you Godspeed. I wish you a great soundtrack. And I wish you support from family, friends, and strangers. All your commitment, training, preparation, and endurance has led you here. It’s not easy. But you’re doing it. It’s worth the stretch!