Triathlon fan favourite Joe Skipper may not have got the result he wanted at the men’s IRONMAN World Championship in Nice last month, but the 35-year-old Brit did get the chance to reaffirm his belief in the importance of mental fortitude in long-distance racing.
Despite being in great shape by all accounts ahead of the big dance on the Cote d’Azur, things quickly fell apart on race day for the Norfolk-based pro, with his swim and bike way off the pace he would have wanted. He would eventually come home 30th.
However, not one to take a setback lying down, Skipper revealed in his most recent YouTube video (watch the full version below) that the fact he persevered to the finish line will set him up nicely for a better day out next time. IRONMAN Florida is already on the cards as a first shot at redemption.
Skipper hungry for success
Skipper shared his happiness to have made it to the finish line, as he explained that pushing through during times of adversity is an important form of character development.
“I’m very pleased that I managed to get to the end. I’ve always kind of thought to myself, if you think you’re going to get injured, then fine DNF and if you feel ill, then you might pull out but if you’re just having a bad day and things aren’t going right, it’s a bit of a bad mentality to pull out, because you should have to suffer through it really and you shouldn’t have the easy option of pulling out.
“I think that’s what builds the motivation to go into your next race and to make you really hungry for more. You have to have that experience of a s*** race, of things not going well, and it will make you want to overcome that. If every time it gets hard or it doesn’t go to plan you pull out, I don’t really think it builds that mental strength and fortitude that you need in an Ironman.”
Skipper, who has won a number of IRONMAN titles in his time over a long and successful career in the sport, says that long-distance racing is meant to be hard and sometimes, athletes just need to get to grips with this fact and be ready to suffer.
“You should suffer through it, it’s supposed to be one of the hardest one day endurance events in the world and some days it is going to bite you in the arse, and when it does you just have to take it on the chin and get through it.
“We all have to do stuff we don’t want to do at some points in our life and if mine is only as bad as having to finish an Ironman when you’re not having a good day, then it’s really not that bad.”
