Fearless Mountains.

FEARLESS MOUNTAINS.

People were lost, mountains were climbed and miles were conquered. This was the theme of the CRESTHOOCH 127. It was like a monster truck rally with no seatbelts on. The energy was wild and untamable at certain points. Many athletes weren’t ready for the challenge but in the end all teams but one crossed the finish line in the 28 hour cut off mark.

My biggest take away from this weekend is that fear is the boa constrictor that chokes the souls of the timid. Darkness shakes even the strongest man. A half inch blister can kill a 6 foot tall super jock. And headlamps are light sabers of ultra marathoning. I’d rather have a stronger mind than body in these races.

At one point I was nearly in tears. For christ sake I had to call my mother to get me out of the depths of the ditch my broken spirit was living in.

You could see people wearing fear like a jacket. It weighed heavy and bold over them. Those who were free of it bounced around like a child at recess. It is amazing how it can come over you like a storm at sea. One minute the sun is out, the next minute you are nearly cast overboard into the depths of insanity. You must be brave against it. You can not let it take hold.. because once it does it sinks its teeth deeper with each passing moment. 

Why do we let this happen? Why are we not the master of our own minds? Why does fear have such a grip over us? No one was going to die but many felt that they would. We were within an hours hike of relief yet it felt like lost out in the desert with no relief in sight? It is wild. More to ponder on this..

But here’s the good news. I'm alive! We all are! And even better, everyone wants to come back. It is amazing how one moment you can be cursing the ground you stand on, vowing never to come back.. Yet a few hours to days later once you’ve sobered up, all you can think about is signing up for next year's race to beat your last time.

To be honest this is all I can think about. The deep moments of despair that wraps you up in the woods. How it tries to take you down then you narrowly escape to the finish line. For some reason I really feel most alive in these moments. 

That was the whole goal of this race. The path isn’t fully clear but the goal is an indomitable spirit that will find its way to the finish no matter the cost. 

I could tell you so much more about this experience but I think this message would lose its value if I did. The message here is that fear isn’t real. It is the monster under the bed that has chased us since we were a child. It takes a different shape over time, slowly chasing you through life. Eventually you have to look under the bed, stare it in the face and scream back at it.

Remember that this is your bed, not the monsters. Remember that this is your race. Remember that this is your life.

You can own these moments as you want them. Don’t let fear take hold of what you worked so hard for. Enjoy these miles. Build bigger dreams with stronger nightmares that push you towards success, rather than chasing you away from it. 

Be strong my friends! See you all in the mountains soon.