COVID-19 and what it means for OUR endurance athletes

We are in an unprecedented situation.

The Coronavirus is taking a grip around the world and Governments are taking action.  The spread of the virus is inevitable, it is simply a matter of doing everything possible to reduce the speed of which is spreads.
It is a result of this, that sporting events are quickly becoming impacted.  Just this week, the NBA put a hold on its season, and today the Formula 1 made the call to cancel the Australian Grand Prix. 

Ironman, today, sent out an email to all and sundry, whereby CEO Andrew Messick said:
“We expect that there are going to be substantial and widespread event postponements in the coming weeks and months.”  This comes on the back of Ironman postponing both Greece and Puerto Rico’s 70.3 events and Ultraman postponing Arizona. 

This afternoon, the Australian Federal and State Governments have directed that all non-essential gatherings of man than 500 people to be suspended.   It is likely that we will see this worldwide in the coming weeks.  If this becomes the reality it will quite possibly mean that a lot (if not all) of the 2020 race schedule for all of our endurance athletes will be postponed until 2021.

So, if this occurs, how can we turn this into a positive? Almost every athlete in the T:Zero stable has a priority A race in 2020 but if these races are postponed to 2021, where does that leave us?

Your goals - A matter of when, not if
At T:Zero we have always believed that you can achieve anything in this sport. For us, it has always been a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’ you will achieve your goal.
Whether or not you want to finish your first triathlon, break that certain time in an Ironman, qualify for the world championships, or do your first Ultra – these goals do not need to change. Nothing should get in your way.  Whether you achieve them this year, or next year or in 2025, it is always a matter of when, not if.

When racing is not the answer – A case in point
The possibility of having your goal race postponed until 2021 will no doubt cause for some disappointment. But quite possibly, we will look back and concluded that it was the best outcome. 
A case in point was Coach Andrew Perry. After a solid debut Ironman Melbourne (40th in Age Group), he raced again in Ironman WA and had an underwhelming performance, coming 15th in his age group.  His goal was to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii but knew he had to improve.  He made the decision to not race a single race the ensuing year – to simply train, develop and improve. Do everything possible in his power to be the best athlete he could be for an entire year. The data, the speed, the power, were all able to provide the necessary feedback as to his development over the year off racing. 
What happened? The year immediately after his hiatus from racing, he raced an Ironman, became Age Group champion and qualified for Kona!

The lesson here – the obstacle is the way
The COVID-19 is worrying. It will likely have a detrimental impact on the racing calendar this year – but how you react to this, will set you apart from the rest.
​
Are you someone who will use this as an excuse to drop the ball for your athletic development, or will you see this as an incredible opportunity to double down, to go all in and use this year as a year to develop into an even stronger, fitter, faster version of yourself?  The decision is ultimately yours, but if you ask Andrew – taking a year off racing to concentrate on his training – was the best decision he could have made.
Marcus Aurelius said “The mind adapts and converts to is own purposes the obstacle to our acting.  The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way”

What defines every T:Zero athlete, is their drive and determination to achieve their crazy awesome goal – whatever that goal is. We know there will be obstacles, and in fact, it is because of these obstacles that make the journey and achieving the ultimate goal worthwhile.  At T:Zero, we embrace the obstacles.   
We know that this sort of temporary delay in the 2020 calendar, will only encourage the T:Zero athletes to see the opportunity that it presents.  To improve our craft, to improve our strengths and work on our weaknesses, so when we do race, we will be ready to live our potential. 

Richard & Scotty