MY WHY
A life changing experience will often times touch your soul in a way that will broaden your perspective on life, make you a better person, and allow you to see the world through a different set of eyes. These experiences can never be taken away from you, and will likely alter the course of your life in a positive and meaningful way.
Emil Zátopek, a famous Czech long-distance runner, said — ‘If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.’ I would like to add to her quote – ‘If you want to change your life, run an ultramarathon.’
About 4 years ago, I pushed myself through a grueling training schedule and finished a 100 mile ultramarathon, and it absolutely changed my life. When I finished, my plan was to take 2 weeks off, and then begin training for my next run. However, I never started back up. I let complacency rule my life for the next several years. I began to see my health deteriorate. I gained 75 pounds and lost all fitness I had achieved. My blood pressure and cholesterol were climbing. I developed severe sleep apnea and had to start using a CPAP machine. I was tired all the time, and it affected my life at work and at home. I was letting life pass me by.
Toby Keith passed away in February 2024. A few months later I read something about him and a song he had written called Don’t Let the Old Man In.
“…And I knew all of my life that someday it would end.
Get up and go outside. Don’t let the old man in…
…When he rides up on his horse and you feel that cold bitter wind
Look out your window and smile. Don’t let the old man in.”
I was 48 years old, and I was letting the old man in. Somehow, that resonated deeply. It stirred the coals from within that once burned fiercely. I needed to kick the old man out. I needed to get up and go outside. So I hit the trail early one morning to reclaim the life that I was letting pass me by. When you’re on a run, the brain fog disappears, and you can think very clearly. You strip away all of the noise from your life and are forced to face brutal honesty, head on. You can’t fake it. You earn every single step you take. But there’s beauty in the struggle. So what are you going to do with that? Quit because it hurts? Or embrace the struggle, because that’s where life happens. When you’re below the surface, where things are real. It’s where you push yourself, sometimes beyond your own perceived limitations. You find out more about yourself through the struggle, when you’re below the surface, where things are a little uncomfortable and you have to survive and make a choice of what you’re going to do. You keep moving forward, and you begin to see and accomplish things you never realized you could. Life is about taking action. Embracing the struggle. You’re at point A and you know what point B is. You may not know what’s between A and B, but you have to just go! Take that step, dive right in, dig deep, and fully engage with the struggle below the surface. Because this is where you grow and experience life at a deeper and more meaningful level.
This early morning run gave me an epiphany – Live below the surface and don’t let life pass you by. I continued to think about this the next few days. What was I going to train for? How was I going to reclaim my life? On another walk/run a few nights later, I was trying to figure out what attracted me to ultramarathons. Why would I consider climbing Mt Kilimanjaro? Am I running away from something, or am I running toward something? Then it occurred to me – one of the things I love about long distance running is that it provides experiences that are larger than life. Experiences where the struggle provides a life changing event.
It all started to come together. Many of you know about Kevin 4 Kemondo and Kevin’s Legacy, my trip to Africa many years ago, and the special connection I have with the Kemondo orphanage in Tanzania. When my brother, Kevin, died in a car crash, we raised $16,000 to honor his legacy and help provide a water well to the orphanage he and his wife were planning to work at together. I had the amazing opportunity to go to Tanzania, visit this orphanage, and see where they were about to dig the well. When I was there, I saw Mt Kilimanjaro. I haven’t ever seriously considered climbing it, but an image of its impressive magnitude has stuck with me since the day I saw it. It’s incredible! The horizon is flat, and then all of a sudden there is a 19,341 foot volcano towering up through the clouds! Can you imagine the struggle you would have to endure to reach the summit? Talk about a larger-than-life experience!
About 9 years ago, we started sponsoring a child in Rwanda through Africa New Life. We’ve exchanged letters and photos with each other for 9 years! A couple of years ago, I learned that Africa New Life does an annual fundraising trip to Tanzania to climb Mt Kilimanjaro and raise money for their food program. I began to think about how incredible that experience would be. Since my trip to the Kemondo orphanage, it has been important to me to help children in Africa and carry on Kevin’s legacy in whatever way I can. If Kevin were still here, it’s what he would do.
So here is an opportunity to carry on Kevin’s legacy, reclaim my fitness and health, embrace a life changing experience, and since I turn 50 this year – not let the old man in. I am going to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, embrace the struggle, live below the surface, experience growth, and literally see the world from a 19,341 foot perspective! Our climb team is getting to know each other through virtual meetings, in person meetings, and we have all begun our training! I’ve lost 67 pounds so far and am well on my way to reclaiming my health!
Please consider helping me in this incredible journey by making a donation and supporting Africa New Life’s Food Program. The cost of the trip is paid for, so 100% of your donation goes to the food program. And no matter the size of your donation, I genuinely appreciate your generosity! Thank you!
