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| What a ride... |
02-Nov-2009 06:19:06 AM [(GMT-05:00) Eastern Time(US & Canada)]
Sahara Race (Egypt) 2009 |
I wanted to thank everyone again for your love and unbelievably generous support over the last four months. It was a big source of strength for me during those low points when giving up and throwing in the towel seemed like the prudent thing to do. Outside of seeing my father (hopefully soon) officially retire after 40+ years of incredible service to this country and raising my own family one day I doubt anything could ever top this experience for me. When I mentioned the idea to the Horvath's and Magic a while back we hoped we'd make a difference but at the time had no idea what that really meant. So we all started working towards a goal. But then something truly remarkable happened...a family was born. A family of dreamers...a family of givers...a family of people who care more about each other than they do about themselves. In today's often cold world I never thought something like this was possible and to see that birth first hand is a gift. In the end...not only did we have tremendous success as we approach $60,000 raised for the MAGIC Foundation...and not only did we have tremendous success in improving awareness for these crucial growth-related disorders...but most importantly we proved that the human spirit is fundamentally decent and that if everyone gives a little more and digs a little deeper from time to time the world can and will be a much better place.
For me personally, there are two life lessons I'll take away from this experience. One - there is nothing on this planet stronger than the heart of a volunteer. And that's exactly what we had here...hundreds if not thousands of volunteers all lending a helping hand contributing in different ways and creating something that became so much bigger than the sum of its individual parts. I feel blessed to have been a part of it and am excited to see what we can all accomplish together in the future. Secondly, the limits placed on the human body are self-imposed and meant to be broken. There are no boundaries. What we all accomplished here is living proof of that and no one can ever take it away from us. How are we ever supposed to reach that next level if we constantly settle for what is already attainable? In all fascets of life there is another level and then another level and then another level. There are probably infinite levels. But if your heart is strong...if your spirit's full of believe and your mind full of determination...you can and will get there.
The final leg was cut short due to security concerns in Giza so we ended up having an untimed 2k run around the sphinx and the pyramids to a camel-lined finish. While we were all looking forward to racing it out, considering the shape of our bodies a nice little victory stroll around one of the seven ancient wonders of the world was more than sufficient for us. It was with a great sense of pride, humility and passion that I crossed the finish line in 5th place representing the greatest nation in the world.
To put it bluntly this experience was life-changing and makes me want to strive to do more. After crashing at the finish line of stage 5 and swearing I'd never run again after this race I'm already itching with desire to get back out there and tackle the next big challenge. And there's no one else I'd consider supporting than the beautiful and courageous Luci Horvath, The Magic Foundation and all the friends and families on here that gave me the fuel I needed to cross the finish line when the easy thing to do would've been to quit. |
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