Team Endure to Cure member Andres Sauma from Santiago, Chile recounts the important life lessons he learned by participating in Ironman Korea in 2011.

The Lesson–By Andres Sauma

It all started after my first successful Ironman in Cozumel, Mexico. My performance was pretty good considering it was my first attempt at the full distance. The dream of qualifying to the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii was beginning to grow inside of me. But since it is such a difficult dream being pursued by so many people, I needed a plan.

I started checking background on all races around the world to try to find out the best choice to accomplish my dream. Races in the US and Europe are too competitive, why not try some exotic destination?

Before I knew it, I was registering for Ironman China 2011. I thought, “ok, I can combine work, race and vacation.” So moving into my training program of 13 weeks achieving my dream seemed possible. Early swims at 5:30 didn’t bother me. Riding with cold weather in the dark before sunrise was the only option to get those 5-6 hours workouts done without sacrificing precious family time.

But training early didn’t bother me. I always love crazy challenges. So after 9 weeks of training the news came in: Ironman China was cancelled due to some bureaucratic issues with the Chinese government. Suddenly, my plan started to fall apart. The Ironman organization offered to cover expenses and gave complimentary race entry fee for a list of races. France, Korea, USA…which one to choose? I chose Korea.

And the bad luck continued: Flight delayed in Paris. Missed my connection in Seoul. Lost my passport in Seoul airport!!!!  All alone in the middle of nowhere, not to mention the 30 hours of flights and airports in my body. Couldn’t fly to Jeju island without a passport, but as things tend to do, it ended up working out and I got to the island.

Ok, now comes the easy part I thought…” racing the Ironman.”

It took a day on the island to turn my optimism down. Weather was brutally hot and humid. The race course was full of hills, not only for the bike leg, but also for the marathon course. No problem, stick to the “unplan”, I thought.

Race day. One mass start, my swimming was the high point of the day. I managed to catch the Pro swimmers and hold a good position until the swim was over. 6th place over 1800 athletes! This was a great way to start. Now all I needed to do was follow my nutrition and pacing plan.

Everything was going well until my Power Bars started to melt from the heat. I couldn’t seem to manage the humidity well. Drank too much electrolyte drink and all of a sudden I was another victim of gastrointestinal distress.

Before finishing the bike I felt like my legs were collapsing. I thought, “ok, I finish the bike leg and quit.” Entering transition tent I started to think that maybe, just maybe I could run for a little while… and maybe I would feel better. So I tricked my mind and started the marathon. At mile 2 I was already walking. The heat was crushing me. No strength on my legs, felt like a balloon ready to pop. How was I going to finish the race?

At this point, my plans for Hawaii were over and I felt like I had no reason to continue this agony. All I could think about was pulling out of the race and going home.  But after that brief moment, I started to picture my family and friends from Endure to Cure. I began to feel guilty.  I cannot let them down. I’m here for them too. I wondered what lesson I would be teaching my daughters if I tell them I quit, but was physically capable to have kept moving forward and finished what I started.  Is it ok to quit?  No, not in this case.  I came to here to inspire people, my family and friends. To show everybody that no matter how bad the odds are, there’s always something to keep fighting for. I need to finish this race. No matter the how disappointing my finish time was to my expectations and my dream of Hawaii Championship. It was going to be a long day, but now I didn’t care because I had a higher purpose to get to the finish line. A few hours later, I crossed the line almost crying. I did what seemed impossible. Korea taught me that a higher purpose can help you extend beyond your limits. This is what I want to teach my children and friends.  This is why I compete, to help others, not just myself.

Andres with his children after winning his age group at the Piedra Roja half Ironman.