Welcome to part 1 of a 4 part series entitled “Why do I do This Stupid Sport Again?? : Kerrville Edition”
To save you from reading things you aren’t interested in, Part 1 will consist of Swim, part 2 will consist of Bike, and part 3 will consist of...you guessed it...run. Part 4 will consist of general thoughts and musings (spoiler alert: I have a medal). So with that, our story begins.....
Once upon on a time, there was a river... this river had a current and windy waves and in their confusion, they fought against each other. The sky was ominous and gray, a shade of gray that would foreshadow things to come.... throughout the morning, The gladiators entered the water two by two as if they were escaping the Great Flood in the wrong direction. One man, the hero of our story began his swim calm and confident. His catch was exact. His pull was mighty. Like a laser, singularly focused, the man conquered buoy after buoy until exactly 357 yards had been laid waste in his path. At that moment, a boa constrictor wrapped itself around our hero’s chest tightly and whispered in his ear “you will fail.” The man, struggled and fought with the snake, but the crushing coils would not let go... all the while whispering “you will fail”. Eventually our hero broke free of its grasp and continued on his quest until the snake caught him again. This tete a tete continued Again and again until at last, the man found sanctuary as his foot touched the sweet relief of AstroTurf and the arms of a saint. The first trial had been completed and the snake was left hungry. Then man looked at his timepiece and let out a mighty “balls.”

Our story continues....
Our hero had barely left the treacherous waters, when suddenly an enormous mountain jutted from the ground preventing him from reaching his trusty steed... he began to climb, calves burning, lungs gasping for an eternity before finally seeing his only companion, a horse so white and pure, with deep set carbon wings... his beloved Delilah. She was lonely as the other steeds had found their riders much MUCH sooner, but he put that behind him and once again, the duo would ride. Anxious to put distance between him and the snake, he did not spare his spurs as they left the corral. There was a joy he never thought he would feel again and they road. Out of nowhere, the heavens blew a mighty wind into our hero’s face, preventing his escape. Within the wind, he could hear a whisper “you will fail” but he kept on. As the wind grew stronger and blew his steed this way and that, the ground beneath him began to rise....and rise it did. Legs burning, our hero pressed on. Eventually the wind realized he had no power over this warrior and left him be... for now.... the terrain however grew unsteady as if the earth itself was splitting beneath the night black chip sealed roads.... upwards and upwards he climbed. He laughed, for he and his steed had faced tougher challenges in the land of California. The earth did not prevail there, nor would they stop him here. In the distance he hears the music and laughter of merriment being had. He would join them soon. He put Delilah in her stall where she was met with what seemed like thousands of other steeds were resting, awaiting their masters’s return. The man looked at his time piece and sighed “meh.”

In every story, there is a time when our hero finds out exactly what’s inside of him. He is weighed. He is measured. Is he found wanting? This is where the story takes a turn... the clouds and wind that had haunted him all day, had vanished. They had been replaced by a large fiery sphere which grew closer and closer with every step. Our hero’s pace quickened. The ground rose to meet its glowing red hot friend trying to trap the man between them. His pace slowed. He continued to move forward. With sheer will alone, he began to run again. Like all good things, that too came to and end. This seemingly endless cycle of running, slowing, and walking continued. He never stopped. His legs grew heavy. His hear pounded. He slowed, but he never stopped. When he got to the end of the trail, he was met with an evil “u turn” sign. The sign laughed. He did not. He accepted his fate and pressed onwards. The heat has formed a permanent barrier between his skin and the air. There were groups of onlookers who spoke encouraging words. Children handed him glasses of joy in the form of ice. Like a ravenous beast he took every piece of ice and shoved it in his suit of armor. There was brief moment of relief. He pressed onward. The din of the crowd called to him, but this trail had one final mocking blow.... he must pass the finish only to loop back towards it. His body screamed at the horror. His mind pressed onward and eventually his body followed. He looked at his time piece often....he had no words that his pure heart would utter aloud. Eventually with out and further ado, he found his way to the promised land, met with a Medal of Honor and a chalice filled with the sweetest of nectars. His trials were complete. Once again, the man was victorious. The whispers would cease...for now.

We’ve come to the end our journey. The story has been told. There’s nothing more to say other than this sport is like no other. The participants are like no other. The spectators are like no other. The volunteers are like no other. The COMMUNITY is like no other. So why do I do this stupid sport? It’s awesome and I’m more awesome today than yesterday. We all are. We get stronger physically and mentally. Even in our perceived failures, we grow. That’s why.