I had never heard of Joe Bonness.
That is my mistake.
At the Ford Ironman 70.3 Whirlpool Steelhead Triathlon I was on my way out on the run. It hurt. It had been a difficult year moving my business and not enough time to really get my training in- I told myself.
At about the four mile mark going out I realized it was going to be a long day and that breaking five hours, my de facto goal for the day, wasn’t looking very realistic. In short, the day was starting to get long.
“I’m 44, just becoming out of shape, my business is growing and more demanding than ever, I just got married and I’ve been doing this for 23 years… Over 200 triathlons. Maybe it is time to call it a day on this sport and just sell bikes…”
That was going through my head. Few other people have done 200 races on 7 continents I rationalized. Maybe I had found some human wear-mark, maybe I had actually worn myself out. Maybe there was wisdom in finishing up today and calling it good. Maybe I should just be done.
Then this guy came around the corner. This guy was older than me, a bit older. He had a beard. I’ll tell you man, this guy was f*#@ing hauling. It was amazing. What’s more, the dude was breathing fire. I mean, you should have seen the look on his face. He was right up there. The guys in front of him and behind him were, like, 23 years old. He looked in his 50’s. He seemed to be in position to contest the *overall *outcome of the race.
I didn’t know who he was. I presumed he may have been lost, took a wrong turn on the course and accidentally cut it short. There was no way a fellow his age could be going that fast, that late in the race, in that overall position among the field. It wasn’t possible, I mean, I was just then enetertaining the thought of calling it a career.
A while after crossing the finish line I looked at the results.
That guy’s name was Joe Bonness. That was the guy I saw.
I got to thinking about him. He has a successful business, probably works his ass off (who doesn’t these days?). He is in his 50’s and he is out there absolutely kicking butt.
So, what the hell was my excuse?
I entered Ironman. A big part of the reason was, if this Joe character, that fast old guy from Steelhead, could still kick ass than maybe I was just having a weak moment when I thought about quitting.
It was as though Bonness came around that corner right when I needed him too.
Realistically, I would suggest Joe Bonness has had as big an effect on my motivation and inspiration for the sport as Dave Scott, Scott Molina, Scott Tinley and Mark Allen did when I was a kid back in the '80’s.
It’s entirely possible that without Joe Bonness I may have quit the sport. What an asshole move that would have been.
Joe, never met you, likely never will. But if you are reading this: Thanks man. Thanks.