Case in point Yuki Kawauchi and Tyler Butterfield. Two athletes from two corners of the world that are seemingly polar opposites. One a dedicated marathoner, the other a triathlete (and former pro cyclist and part-time marathoner). Yuki fits his running around his day job in the Japanese government whilst Tyler is a fulltime professional athlete. And I'm sure the list could go on. But these two guys have more in common than one might think.
It was freezing and raining hard at last week's Boston Marathon, but Yuki threw caution to the wind (sic) and went out hard from the gun. Wearing little more than a vest, shorts and his shoes, commentators were aghast at the Japanese runner's audacity. There was no way he could sustain that pace, they said, before marvelling at Yuki's unrivaled run of sub-2:20 marathons, Boston already being his fourth 42.2km effort this year! Yuki is an idealist, eschewing appearance fees and corporate sponsorship that don't necessarily aligh with his principles. He pays his own way to races and buys his own shoes, I believe. And while he doesn't exactly "dance" in marketing terms, he prefers to let his legs do the talking, on very regular basis at that. But there he was in Boston, mixing up amongst the celebrated and wrapped up favourites, just going for it no matter the conditions. The rain and wind didn't bother him – he was there to race and that was that.
Just a day earlier and half a world away and Tyler Butterfield's 12th position at the Commonwealth Games Marathon didn't exactly turn heads. But that was OK with him. You see, Tyler is one of those rare birds that excels at a myriad of endurance sport. Primarily a professional triathlete (top-10 in Kona), Tyler has been a pro cyclist (with the formative EF-Education First World Tour outfit), represented his homeland of Bermuda internationally as a cyclist, triathlete and now a marathoner. Sure, his 2:26 performance in Brisbane didn't set any records but it was a personal best marathon time for him and only 10 minutes behind winner Michael Shelley. Hot conditions aside, this performance was on the back of representing Bermuda in the triathlon and mixed relay events. Not exactly the best taper but that there he was, his 75kg frame up there with all the "Slim Jims" hanging tough in a race of attrition. But Tyler showed up and raced.
Show up and race? Well, the above examples certainly don't fit the textbook. In fact, they probably fit more into the "Don't Try This At Home" category. But the underlying message is not one of racking up consecutive marathons or multiple races in one week. No, it's more about being confident in one's current fitness level, staying optimistic and going out there to see what can be done on the day, no matter the conditions. Sure, both Yuki and Tyler are exceptions to the rule, but these rare birds of what makes sport great.
Listen to Jon and Steve discuss this topic in detail on their excellent On Coaching show.
http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/04/on-coaching-73-keep-showing-up-lessons-from-the-boston-marathon.html
http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2018/04/on-coaching-72-the-intangibles-can-you-develop-the-it-factor.html
