No matter what we do, we always look up to certain people and get inspired by them. For me, one of them has always been my older brother Christophe. He is 3 years older than me.
From an early age, he inspired me. I remember when we were teenagers, he spent so much time at his desk studying. His bedroom was across the hallway and he usually kept his door open. From my room, I saw his desk and each time I checked his room he was seated studying, early in the morning, late in the evening and during the weekend. I was one of those kids who perfected daydreaming and was always impressed by his focus and dedication.
Later on, when he started running marathons and then ultra runs, he had the same approach; focused and dedicated to his training regiment. He went through so many injuries (snapped his Achilles’ tendons…) that would have stopped anybody else from running but for him it was never an option.
His latest run was an extreme passage he did a few years ago under different conditions. This year, he had plans to enter the official run called the Trans Pyrenea; a run of 600 miles with more than 180,000 feet of climbing to be completed in no more than 18 days. The runners have to carry a backpack with some survival gears, fluid and nutrition. His plan was to run about 18 hours a day!
Before the race started, it got canceled. But that didn’t stop Christophe. He inlisted his wife, Jane to drive a RV and meet him at different points along the way.
After a few days, he was making good progress, sticking to his running schedule and right on time to complete the race in 18 days. At day 12, he fell and landed on his chest. A doctor checked him and found he fractured a rib…he also found some bad infections on his feet. I know the infections wouldn’t have stopped Christophe from running, but the fracture did.
Swimming for 8 hours per day is a walk in the park compared to what he has gone through, plus I don’t have to worry about hurting myself if I fall.
Thank you, my brother, for inspiring me and letting your son Paul be part of my supporting team at sea!
Ben
9 thoughts on “[DAY 68] Who inspires me”-
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A family who inspire each other and others Thank you the Lecomte family
Are you stop your crossing ? The best to your crew & you.
Only temporarily, heading back to the GPS point this week. Excited to get back in the water
No words for this blog.
The true meaning of hero.. true meaning of a beautiful soul! Thank you for your brave heart and will power to make a change<3
Your my inspiration Ben! Im now buying bamboo toothbrushs and also swimming a few times a week, I think of you when i get tired, your efforts motivate me! Thankyou mate
Thank you, Ben, for sharing the courage of your brother Paul. Undoubtedly this astonishing courage lays at the root of his dedication and focus that has turned his commitments into victories.
How wonderful to be able to draw such strong inspiration from your own brother’s attitude and deeds.
We keep translating some of your posts to share with our young students in our Writing Workshop and in our Art Class when they will be back in September.
Ines and Paula
http://www.cad.edu.pt
Are you able to connect to the internet while in middle of ocean? How can you lock onto the satellite with the boat rocking?
Hello John, we have emails and the camera crew can upload the videos for Seekers content via satellite. Ben