"A man has a body, a mind and a spirit. There are times in a man's life when his body tells him it can't continue on. Where his mind will tell him that the task set for him is too hard for him to accomplish. Those two don't matter. It's a man's will, a man's spirit that will tell him you can do this! It will make the mind and the body follow along." - Dennis ByrdI watched Tom Jackson's interview with Dennis Byrd during the AFC Championship game a couple of weeks ago. Mr. Byrd floored me with the above quote. It was an amazing sentiment, from a pretty amazing person. If you don't know the story, Dennis Byrd was a defensive lineman with the New York Jets. In 1992 during a game with the Kansas City Chiefs Dennis Byrd collided with a teammate and shattered a vertebra in his neck. He was partially paralyzed from the injury.
Dennis Byrd should have been a triathlete, he should have been an Ironman. The quote he shared with the 2010 Jets team embodies the philosophy that makes 140.6 mile a reality for a successful triathlete. A triathlon is grueling, it taxes the body to the point of exhaustion. Your body screams for you to stop! The distance of a full ironman race is more than most minds can wrap around. It is about the distance from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon, no small feat! The key to finishing is the spirit as Mr. Byrd said so eloquently! Desire, pride, fear, soul and dedication, all balled up into "Spirit!" That is what gets the lucky ones across that line. That is what makes winners like Dennis Byrd an Ironman!
I have included Mr. Jackson's video piece of Dennis Byrd below, it is worth your time to watch!
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