In my mind, he is.
My son (who I wrote about last year ) completed his second ever mountain run today and came 7th in his age-group. This is the man who has taken his serious lung diagnosis and decided life is for living, not curling up in the foetal position and giving up.
I’m proud of his mental and physical fortitude. This was a tough run. The weather, after last year’s sun and sparkle, was freezing up the mountain and at the finish line it was sheeting rain and a mountain wind.
At the Springs we rang him through with our best Tour de France cowbells and he was struggling. He’d developed Runners Stomach and was clutching his guts. His face was creased with pain and of course the mother in me dropped part of her bundle but we had to watch him go on. His wife, child and In-Laws were at the next viewpoint and still he was in shocking discomfort. I remember last year when he met us at the various points grinning like a Cheshire Cat because he was running against himself and winning. There was now a moment where ‘himself’ looked as though it would pummel him.
We all drove to the finish – his whole family. This is a big race – 30% of contestants come from interstate and overseas and so we stood, even the Terrier, in the chill mountain rain and shouted, cheered and rattled our bells as he came sweeping down off the foothills, across the final paddock and into the finishing lane, brought home by a commentator and loudspeakers.
He ran that race in just over 3 hours. He came 7th in his age-group and he beat himself.
I’m so proud…
Tomorrow we go to cheer his wife on in the same way.
With thanks to our daughter who took all the images.
Music? It could be nothing else:
Courage comes in so many forms and creates so many results. I'm proud of you for assisting in the creation of such a human. Thanks! J
Your son is amazing - I do recall the original post too. He's extremely handsome and so like his dad as well! I could hear those bells clanking all the way from here ...