DIS-abled __ EN-abled

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” Muhammad Ali

I was chatting to a friend of mine last week while travelling in Madagascar, and we joked a lot around disability, she is hard of hearing…mostly deaf and her husband is a quadriplegic, so we had some good “war” stories to share around our disabilities and where we have been and what we have experienced.

One of my stories I shared was how I “ran” or “ignored” or well tried to ignore my disability for nearly my entire life, till about the year 2012, if we take into account the day since I was born that would be nearly 33 years. Imagine running from something for 33 years, no wonder I was so tired.

My friend made an interesting comment, she said oh so in 2012 you came out of the closetJ. I had a good laugh, because yes it was as though when I realised I needed to stop running away from my disability and start running with my disability, it was as though the lights came on and the smelly closet was opened and I walked out or I should say rolled out.

Since leaving the closet (running from my disability), I have taken on many risks and impossible situations, I have found that having courage and taking risks proves that nothing is impossible.

The past few weeks, I raced in Sun City at the Ultra Triathlon, although I just did the sprint distance. I encountered some bike issues on the cycle and ended up being the only and last person on the run. Being last can be a little soul destroying, especially since you know people have already gone home. At one point pushing through the golf course part of the run, I hit a hill, a tough hill, that I couldn't push up and started rolling backwards, and even though I tried breaking my wheels were just sliding. With no one to help, I eventually spotted a golf caddy and called out for help and he came running over and pushed me up the hill, I have to say if he wasn't there, I might still be sitting at the bottom of that hill :). All in all not my best race but learnt more about pushing through my mind then anything else. And that being last is still ok, its about taking on the risk and having the courage and determination to finish.

On the 12th of May I ran the FNB 12 One run, a 12 kilometer road run, I met amazing kids from the Red Cross Children's Hospital who have disabilities and at times and even now are fighting for their lives. I pushed my heart out and smashed my time from last year’s race by 30 minutes, it was such a contrast to my Triathlon at Suncity the week before, but what it did do for sure was give me confidence that I am making progress and the risks are starting to pay off. As I ran through the streets of Cape Town, what was I thinking or seeing, I was envisioning the streets of New York and pushed myself knowing nothing is impossible!

On the 24^th July 2016 I will be racing in the New York City Triathlon, I have registered, booked air tickets and been training. So yes it is happening and racing in the City of dreams will be a dream come true.

You know they say " IF YOU CAN MAKE IT IN NEW YORK YOU CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE"

Our actions and all that we believe will continue to show our courage and how we decide to live our lives. I have never once wanted to go back to the closet, since facing my disability, and using it to my advantage I have found that the dreams I had given up on when I was a child, I am now living as an adult. I loved sport as a child wanted it to be my career, it’s not my career now, but I am doing sports and doing it in a way that no South African female has yet to do, taking on triathlons with just their arms. It might look different to what I thought it would look like as a kid, but it’s not what it looks like, its the fact that sports is sports and I get to compete with all my heart, knowing that leaning on hope, being courageous and racing with determination, I will continue to take on the impossible and risk my life with the impossible.

I challenge you to think about what you’re running from and start running with it, come out and do what makes you feel alive.