This past weekend I provided safety support for 5K, 2.5K, and 1-mile swims. I was on a paddleboard following the last swimmer making sure they safely made it back to the finish line. On the final race of the weekend, it became very clear early on that I would be following this one swimmer for our 2.5K journey. Sometimes the last swimmer changes. This was not one of those times.
His pace rarely changed. In the beginning, he was slow. In the middle, he was slow. And in the end, he was slow. About halfway through, I radioed the course director asking about the course cutoff time. His response made me nervous.
Most races have a cutoff that if you don’t reach a certain point within the time, you are removed from the course. It is a terrible feeling to tell someone they can’t continue when deep down they want to. They have trained a long time and their hope of crossing the finish line is dashed.
When I mentally calculated this guy’s speed, the remaining distance, and the upcoming cutoff, I was concerned he wouldn’t make it. I continued to watch my clock closely and the distance remaining until he rounded the final buoy. He made the cut-off with 1 minute 40 seconds remaining on an 85-minute race. I breathed a sigh of relief and got a big smile on my face when I knew he accomplished what so few people ever attempt.
It reminded me of this quote,
“DEAD LAST FINISH is greater than DID NOT FINISH which is better than DID NOT START.”
While there were about 100 people who finished ahead of him, he still finished. There were billions who never even signed up. He was my hero today.
Great article.
Cheers!