I was listening to As It Happens on the way home from the Tuesday Trail Run, with joy in my body from the run and happiness in my tummy from the cookies, listening to one of my favourite radio shows on CBC called As It Happens. Guess who they phoned? LIONEL SAUNDERS!!! If you missed it….***SPOILER ALERT*** Lionel disclosed that he only began Triathlon in 2010, at the age of 22. He was, at the time, an alcohol and drug user, completely down on himself and feeling like he was wrecking his life. He decided ON A WHIM to do Ironman Louisville Kentucky, trained like a demon, replaced his alcohol and drug addiction with workout addiction, and fell deeply and passionately in love with the sport. When asked what the secret of his success is…he said basically that he feels joy and passion in everything he does in this sport, that he loves it so much, that he feels priviledged to have a body that allows him to push himself so hard despite what he has done to it in the past, that EVERY workout he lives in the moment and thrives on the actual workouts, knowing that they are the pieces of the pie necessary to do his sport well. Go to <www.cbc.ca/aih> to hear the whole interview. Fascinating background story to the new World Ironman Record Holder!!!!! An inspiration to us all. Congratulations, Lionel Saunders, for finding a way to turn your life around!
“This sport changed my life and continues to change my life”.
Me, too, Lionel, me too!! He is now one new source of my INSPIRATION! I didn’t even know it until I googled him, but his bike and helmet were a fantastic LIME GREEN!!!!!!