wang writes

Almost exactly a week from now I’ll be getting ready to be tucked up in bed at the Holiday Inn, to have a good night’s rest before the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida. Thanks to kind sponsorship from Aviva, all expenses for the race, including flights and accommodation, are covered. All I have to worry about is the race itself. A 1.9km swim (a wetsuit swim, I found out in the nick of time today, and Athlete’s Circle are loaning me a wetsuit for free, thanks guys), 90km cycle and 21km run.

As I type this I can feel a tinge of nerves coming on. The last time I participated in a World Championships was back in 2006 — that one, however, the true Holy Grail of triathlon, the Hawaii Ironman in Kona. It’s been three years since. I’ve done the big one before, but this doesn’t feel any less scary. The world’s best 2,000 triathletes will be there, who wouldn’t be?

So, I sussed out the competition tonight. I’m competitor No. 1,353, one of 63 women participating in the 25-29 age-group, which will be flagged off at 7.50am, over an hour after the pros take the plunge. We’ll be one of the last age-groups to go, so I’ll be just over halfway through my race when Bozzone or some other pro man is celebrating his win. If there’s any consolation, there’ll be less people overtaking me. Heh.

Some friends from the Philippines were found on the list, like Arland Macasieb (MPRO) and Ani de Leon (30-34). We go waaay back, nearly 10 years since we first met while representing our respective countries on the Asian triathlon circuit. Singapore will have 14 representatives, including cancer survivor and Aviva Life Challenge Award winner Alan Lim.

A couple of celebrities will be there, including celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito and Scott Cohen, whom according to wikipedia is an American actor. I guess not all American actors are famous!

There are the physically challenged athletes. The real inspirations. Like Daniel Gade, a US military captain who was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2004 and was severely wounded and subsequently had his right leg amputated at the hip. There’s Aaron Scheidies, who was born with a hereditary eye condition that slowly deteriorates his central vision — at 27, he’s now left with just 10 per cent of the vision of a fully sighted person. There’s Ryan van Praet, who’s born with retinitis pigmentosa, and is also slowly losing his sight.

And then there is the Frenchman, Dominique Benassi.

Credit: TampaBay.com

If these guys can do it, can complete an Ironman, can take life’s battles by the scruff of the neck and overpower them… well then, we all can.