It is often said ‘Life is a Journey, enjoy the ride!’ I guess the #FNBWines2Whales has to be the closest one can get to MTB Heaven, so enjoying the ride was simple!
I have been fortunate to ride the past two editions of the #FNBWines2Whales with one of the world’s great adventurers and mountaineers Sibusiso Vilane. I think there are many similarities between the two of us, as deep down we are both very competitive but we have both come to realise that it may be Summits or Podiums we strive for, but it is how we respond to the obstacles, the challenges and setbacks that determine if we will be truly successful or not.
Imagine being left for dead on Mount Everest? Picture it…. you’ve just summited, you are exhausted, facing extreme weather, struggling to find the energy to put your Crampons (climbing boots) on and your Expedition Leader, fellow climbers and Sherpas have started the descent without you (presumably not realising you aren’t in the group). 
It is just YOU against the World’s most unforgiving Mountain…. there can be no quitting, no raising the white flag on Everest, it is a case of staying focussed on the Finish Line (next campsite 4 or 5 hours away), because if you as much as close your eyes, you will die on that Mountain!
The #FNBWines2Whales appears to get the balance right between the racers and the masses and Sibusiso is one man who knows all about celebrating participation and finishing the task, as opposed to being the fastest. So instead of writing a race report focussing on the race or the podium, I thought I would share some of the lessons we can all learn from Sibusiso.
Let’s put the issue of ‘race’ and results to bed very quickly, because the Isuzu Adventurers team comprising Sibusiso & I were certainly not able to compete, so forget about peeking at the results as virtually everybody would have beaten us in terms of minutes elapsed. I think Life should be focussed upon challenging yourself with personal goals to become better than you previously were, remembering that he who experiences the most wins. Yes, we had progressed from MTB beginner to Novice and we had done a lot more training in preparation, but will somebody please tell my partner that running not one, but two Full Marathons the weekend before a Friday start is not ideal MTB training. 
It was about 25km into Day One when I realised that my partner was in trouble and that the deadly cocktail of his two marathons and my ‘fast’ early pace had combined to kill off any reserves he might have had left in those ‘mountaineering’ legs of his. Only when I detected that his legs were crying out for levity did I start to back off and switch to Plan B, which was survival and finish mode.
Just like the Isuzu TV Ad I knew we were now facing the longer ride and that we had to pull through, while also ensuring we didn’t get timed out at any of the check points and believe me that was a close shave. Sibusiso’s legs may have deserted him, but his mind was as alert and determined as ever as he showed immense resilience and pushed through the fatigue, the pain and the cramps en route to tent town in Oak Valley.
Never once did Sibusiso ask for pity, never once did he try and blame me for the fast early pace, never once did he try and use his double marathon as an excuse, never once did he doubt our ability to finish the day and never once did he utter a single negative word or sentence.
Sibusiso opted to smile (perhaps it was a grimace), he opted to remain positive, he opted to remain focussed upon our task and goal which was to finish, he opted to pick himself up and dust himself off (when falling) and get on with it, he opted to thank the volunteers, he opted to encourage me and he opted to be positive about the experience, the terrain, the views and the challenge. Sibusiso remained resilient and focussed, the hallmarks of a Champion!
Sibusiso in the company of Tim Duncker & Matt Bind
Important Life Lessons learnt from an Everest mindset:
1. Take responsibility! Take responsibility for your actions, your preparation, your race as playing the blame game will not help anyone and wastes an invaluable amount of mental energy.
2. Remain positive! Strangely enough your Mind can only hold one thought at a time, especially if you are focussed upon that thought. So you have a choice, feed it a negative or a positive thought and if you feed it positives, your chances of success are enhanced dramatically. Feed it negatives and you are doomed!
3. Avoid hosting a pity party! Firstly it will be a lonely party as nobody wants to attend pity parties, so build a bridge and get over the river (of tears).
4. You can choose to face the ‘Ugly Truth’ or the ‘Beautiful Lies’, the former being reality and the latter being the sugar coated excuses that we are all capable of inventing. Sure, it does sound harsh but even if you have an excuse cast in iron (as Sibusiso did = 2 marathons) and you allow your mind to focus and dwell upon it, it will become larger than life. Nobody is interested, so change focus.
5. Smile! Smiling and laughing, even if you are laughing at your own plight has a positive impact upon your situation. Smile often and learn to laugh at yourself, believe me the Sun will still rise again the next day! We joked often about the fact that it’s better to be a Live Donkey vs a Dead Lion, implying don’t take unnecessary risks.
6. Keep on bouncing back. My late Dad always said to me “if you can get up once more than you are knocked down, then you will always be successful!” I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to dust myself off, but those words echo in my ears whenever I feel down and out and I keep coming back for more and so can you.
7. Express gratitude! Thank the marshall, the volunteer, your support team and even your situation as it has a positive impact upon your efforts. In an Ironman I am always force feeding myself with positives and thanks, I express thanks to my mind all the time, sometimes for simple things but the more I do, the better I feel and guess what, there is no room for negatives.
8. Be resilient! If you read the paragraph about being left for dead on Everest, you will realise that Sibusiso has learnt that you have to keep on moving toward your Finish Line, no matter what! Imagine going into your next race knowing that waving the white flag is not an option, unless you choose death?
It’s a Special-ized World!
9. There is no I in Team! Sibusiso and I are an unlikely Team, but we both have similar views and outlooks when it comes to sport. It doesn’t matter what sport or event you are participating in, you are always a part of a Team as it is Impossible to achieve anything on your own. So be cognisant of the your team-mate/s, your support team, family, sponsors, etc and remember that there are many pinning their hopes upon you.
10. Ten is for 10 out of 10! Sibusiso, it was a pleasure to be your team mate, it may have been slow at times, but I learnt a great deal as I listened intently while sometimes choosing just to watch and admire your fortitude! Well done on your 2nd #FNBWines2Whales Finishers Medal, mine will be cherished! 
No need to go into Days 2 and 3, other than to say my team mate got stronger each day and that we had a great deal of fun, we stopped to smell the roses, we encouraged and were encouraged by some remarkably tough individuals/teams, who themselves were faced with their own challenges and overcame them, well done!
In closing a mighty big thank you to all involved in an incredible event, until the next Chapter, Sibusiso and I wish you all the very best!
YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!
The Riddle of an Ironman's Life 