Jason Lester - Running on Faith: The Principles, Passion, and Pursuit of a Winning Life

Contents

An Ultraman triathlon:

Swim 6.2 miles

Bike 261.4 miles

Run 52.4 miles

People who finish Ironman triathlons each year: about 50,000

People who have finished an Ultraman triathlon: about 400

People who have finished the Ultraman World Championship and Ultraman Canada: 25

People who have finished both Ultraman Canada and the Ultraman World Championship in the same year: 15

I first met Jason Lester via e-mail. I had known of him for a couple years as a challenged, Christian athlete who had been doing some impressive things. But after my book, 50/50 , came out in 2008, I got an e-mail from a guy out of the blue saying that hed read the book and was inspired by it. I looked at the From line on the e-mail and it said, Jason Lester. I thought, Is this who I think it is?

Challenged athletes like Jason have always been incredibly inspiring to me. When I think about what they have to overcome to compete in marathons, triathlons, ultramarathons, and other sports, it leaves me speechless and humbled, to say the least. When I was running in Wisconsin as part of my fifty marathons in fifty days adventure, a woman ran the course with me. Shed had her right leg amputated above the knee, but she told me that I had been an inspiration to her. Are you kidding me? This woman was out there on a prosthetic leg running sub-four-hour marathons. Her name was Amy Dodson, and she left a lasting impression on me.

When you see people with that kind of courage and commitment it absolutely shakes you to your core. Its awe-inspiring. When youve got the kind of body that can bang out one-hundred-mile races, its easy to take it for granted. If I used to, I dont anymore. Watching Jason and people like him has taken care of that.

So when I heard from him, I couldnt help but think, Dude, you think Im inspiring you ? For someone whos completely able-bodied and has all the athletic gifts, its insane to participate in endurance sports and push your mind and body as far as you do. Competing in events like Badwater or Ultraman takes you to the brink of self-destruction. Just pushing yourself to finish something so punishing when every part of you is screaming to stop, lie down, and give in takes an effort of will thats superhuman.

Now, add a physical challenge like having only one leg or, in Jasons case, not being able to use your right arm. To gut through the normal mind-numbing violence of an ultra-endurance race while carrying the additional burden of not being able to use part of your body, and to not only finish, but excel... the word inspirational is somehow inadequate. Its unfathomable. Its unimaginable. But Jason and others do it.

Everyone in the triathlon world knows Jason since he won the ESPY for best male athlete with a disability. But he was well known before that, not just for his amazing performances in grueling races, but for his humility, his gratitude at being part of the Ironman and Ultraman family, and his faith. I respect and admire Jasons faith and the fact that he has an open mind about himself and his sport. Hes an explorer. Hes not afraid to dig deeper, learn more, and find out just how far faith and discipline can take him.

In Running on Faith, you get to know Jason up close. I know him, and I know hes incredibly self-effacing about what he doesabout how its really not that unusual. Well, let me take a minute to set you straight. What Jason does is almost beyond belief. Imagine swimming two miles. Does that seem impossible? Now triple the distance and you have the swim that begins the Ultraman races. Think about having to swim that distance with your lungs burning and your shoulders screaming. Got a nice, clear mental picture? Good. Now, take away one arm.

Jason swims six miles in under six hours using only his left arm and his legs. Thats so hard core its difficult to even imagine. Now imagine that youve just reached the end of the swim, grateful to be back on dry land, and youve got to jump on a racing cycle and race for more than ninety miles. While the other competitors have been resting their legs and swimming mostly with their arms, you dont have that option. Youve got to compensate for your immobile arm by kicking. So your quads and hamstrings are already fatigued by the time you get on the bike, but no one cares. Theyve all got their own agonies to deal with, big and small. Youve got to deal or quit.

Thats what Jason faces in every triathlon, especially every Ultraman. But he deals. He brings it. He trains with fierce intensity because he knows his legs have to hold up under that stress. He does it race after race. He never asks for special treatment from race officials because of his arm, and he never uses his challenge as an excuse for coming up short of his goals. He just says, Lets get after it, over and over again. Even if youll never run one hundred miles (or even one mile), you can appreciate that spirit.

When you make extreme-distance sports your life, its like you have this angel sitting on your shoulder, constantly whispering, Do something inconceivable. Set the bar higher. Take up a new challenge. Most days, youre too busy to listen, but when things quiet down you start asking yourself questions. Could I improve my split? Could I set a new personal record? Could I keep going past the point where in the past Ive quit? Its about inner growth and improving discipline and mental focus. After all, the only person you ever really meet out on the course is yourself. You are your own ultimate competition; at the end of the day, youre the one you have to answer to.

One of my main sponsors is The North Face, whose tagline is never stop exploring. Thats Jason in a nutshell. His motto is never stop, and he never does. He keeps training and competing when most triathletes have packed it in for the winter. Living in Hawaii helps, but whats more relevant is his extreme mentality. Like many extreme athletes, hes driven to create his own unique events. I understand that need perfectly, because I feel it, too. Athletes like me and Jason love to compete and were motivated by competition, but we also love the purity of creating our own course and competing not against other athletes but against ourselves. Thats when things get real. How fast can I go this time? How much more can I do?

Thats why Jason created EPIC5, where he does five Ironman triathlons on five Hawaiian islands on five consecutive days. Most people hear that and think the guys out of his mind. But hes not. Hes an extreme, extreme athlete. For him, all his races, EPIC5 included, are about refusing to give in to any self-imposed limitations. When you have a physical challenge, its easy to take the socially accepted path, listen to people telling you what you cant do, and sink into a self-pitying, woe-is-me mode. Not Jason. Hes used his challenge to motivate himself to do things that are beyond the capabilities of most able-bodied people.

In this book, Jason talks a lot about something else that I understand very well: the shared warrior connection that extreme endurance athletes have with one another. Jason has said that Ironman and Ultraman have become his family, which might not make sense to someone who sees us trying to bury one another on the course in each race. Its true that theres competition, but theres also tremendous camaraderie between the athletes. When were all together for an event, were among like-minded people who share the same core values. Most important, each of us knows what the others have sacrificed and how hard theyve worked. Passion, in these circles, is universal.

This shared disregard for limitations and stubborn unwillingness to allow anything to stand in the way of dreams creates a unique bond and special kinship among all athletes, able-bodied and challenged. It doesnt matter if you see one another only once a year at an event, or only read about your comrades exploits in the magazines. They become your family, because you can relate firsthand to the toils they face and the struggles they must endure to cross the finish line. Respect is earned and deep mutual admiration garnered, no matter how fiercely you might compete out on the race course. They are your fellow warriors, your blood (and sweat and tears) brothers and sisters.