And the days are not long enough,
And the nights are not long enough,
And life slips by like a field mouse,
Not even shaking the grass.
Introduction
At the end of July 2005 I was privileged enough to compete in Ultraman Canada. This was my first attempt at anything more demanding than an Ironman triathlon and I was overwhelmed by the friendship and camaraderie displayed by my fellow competitors, the support crews and everyone else involved in the event. At the awards ceremony one of my fellow athletes, John McCarey quoted from a poem by an American writer Erza Pound:
‘And the days are not long enough,
And the nights are not long enough,
And life slips by like a field mouse,
Not even shaking the grass.’
-- Ezra Pound
John was suggesting that in our own small way we were shaking the grass. The imagery conjured by Johns’ speech has stayed with me ever since as a gentle, positive reminder of the choices we have in life. We can either let life slip by or try and get on board and live a little. It is hoped this section of the gearsandtears site will provide visitors with an insight to the life experiences that participation in sporting events can provide. If you have a story you’d like to share please email it to ian@gearsandtears.com and if appropriate we will share it with the wider www audience. All the very best.
Latest Article - Ultraman Hawaii
The following is a brief race report written by multi time Ultraman finisher and exceptionally experienced ultra endurance athlete CJ Ong following a DNF in Ultraman Hawaii. For me well worth a read and some moments of reflection,
Ian
My UltraMan Hawaii did not exactly go according to plan this year as I did not finish the race. While I was for a short time disappointed in my DNF this year my reason for entering the race was to travel the circle of Hawaii once again and experience the ohana (family), kokua (help) and aloha (love) that sets UltraMan Hawaii (and Canada) apart from all the other races, both long and short I have been part of. Though not a finisher this year I satisfied my reason for entering.
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Raid Provence Extrême
"There's no way I could do this as a solo"
I remember saying to Anne last year after finishing our first RPE as a relay team. But by the end of 2006, the idea that I could ride the RPE 2007 solo was firmly fixed in my mind. I like pushing my limits. I subscribed in January, the decision had been made. I had no previous experience of long distance riding except for a challenge called Le Défi des Fondus de l'Ubaye which I completed last year in 14,5 hours (320 km for 6800 meters of climbing).
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Ironmand Western Australia
At 0600 on Sunday 3rd December 2006 I found myself bobbing around with 800+ others in the sea just off the coast of Busselton preparing for a very long day ahead for the 2006 Ironman WA. For the uninitiated, an Ironman is a 3.8km swim followed by a 180km bike ride followed by a marathon – all 42.2kms of it – and Cam, Ironbee Mike and Jerome from the squad had it all to face over the coming hours.
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Ultraman Canada 2006
This is a quote I saw somewhere around this time last year and it became another fixture on my fridge for the whole year. As I was embarking on a world of ultra distance training and racing I figured that I would roll with everything and not be intimidated by a long(er) run or ride (than I had ever done before).
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RAAM 2006
As many of you may will be aware gearsandtears entered a four person team into this years Race Across America (RAAM). The team came third in its division. A superb result for a rookie team of riders and crew.
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Ultraman Canada 2005
In November 2004 I was searching the www and stumbled across Ultraman Canada. The event captured my imagination and I thought would be a good way to exorcise a few demons from a poor season.
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