Dream Big Or Go Home

THROW YOUR HEART OVER THE WALL
AND YOUR BODY WILL FOLLOW
-Plaxico Burress

Ironman …

2500 competitors.
2500 goals.
2500 dreams.

Standing clad in our wetsuits and caps we may look alike – but we’re not. We each bring our own story. Our own history. Our own burdens. We are young. Old. Married. Single. From CEO’s to bike messengers, ironworkers to accountants. Mothers, grandfathers, husbands and daughters. First timers and grizzled veterans. Each of us has our own reason for showing up.

Yet we share a single dream: to become an Ironman.

This is the odyssey that is Ironman. This is why it is unique.
We come from all walks of life – yet we are all dreaming big. Regardless of whether our dream is to finish first in our age division or just finish (all limbs intact), we go from dreaming it to doing it.

Truth be told, the overwhelming majority of us that toe the line have never even competed in an ultra-distance event. With the exception of Hawaii, there are no required qualifiers. We don’t need to be the fastest in our age group or our state. We don’t even need to be the fastest on our block. We just need to show up with our wetsuits in hand.

Most of us are just middle-of-the-packers with one day – one race – to prove to ourselves that the endless hours of training and discipline were not in vain. That the thing that drove us to chase something so impossible will not let us down. We’re not saving ourselves for better day when we can finish top ten. We’re not driven by prize money or endorsements. We race only for ourselves and this is our day.

And the only thing that stands between us and our dream: 140.6 miles. Sure … covering this distance in a single day is a monumental task that elicits a “you must be kidding” response from most of our critics. But, great things await those that are brave enough to dream. The finish line is sacred real estate and we are ready for a fight.

You’ve heard the saying “Go big or stay home.”

Well we say “Dream big or stay home.”

What’s your dream?

Make this your year. Follow your dream. Stop putting it off until you have more time. More money. More experience. You’ll probably never have enough of those anyway. Start today because if you don’t start today, you’ll be behind tomorrow. Do you really want to spend another moment watching someone else chase their dream? Get up and chase your own.

I started out a dreamer and ended up an Ironman … and that was just the beginning.