Mark Beaumont’s epic 18,000 mile round the world record bike ride completed in 78 days, 14 hours and 14 minutes, makes the 2,200 mile Tour de France look like a Sunday picnic.
The Scots adventurer clocked up an average of 240 miles per day smashing the previous record by 44 days.
The physical demands of tackling such a gargantuan task, in all climates and conditions, up hill and down dale, are staggering.
The mental stamina and strength required are the key factors in assuring Beaumont of legendary athlete status, and they should be the inspiration for all competitors in any sport, from youth club to top flight.
In any solo competition the hardest and toughest opponent any athlete can face is his or her self. In a team sport or in facing a competitor in any other competition, a known quantity is usually in plain sight, or very soon becomes evident.
Against self though, the dangers are more insidious.
How easy it would be to succumb to the aching, battered body, denied sleep and rest, (Beaumont was in the saddle from 4am to 9pm every day) while tackling a feat which would mentally and physically exhaust the majority of us.
An indomitable, unquenchable, and iron-willed spirit is an absolute necessity for the task that Mark Beaumont faced. A mind capable of denying the body in a way that only a Trappist monk might endure is surely a fundamental requirement, to be able to push the human frame to the very limits of what an individual can withstand.
Beaumont is not an athlete in the traditional sense of the word. Round the world endurance bike riding is unlikely to become an Olympic event any time soon.
Anyone though, who has ever pulled on a pair of football or rugby boots, or a pair of running shoes, or donned the boxing gloves, or competed in any sport, no matter what level, will have a glimmer of the incredible demands Beaumont carried on his shoulders.
The deprivations and emotions which make his energy sapping, limb deadening, mind numbing, achievement, such a glorious testament to the human capacity for self flagellation, will be understood by everyone who has ever set a personal goal, whether in the race for life or a marathon.
All great champions have a drive and a desire unmatched by mere mortals. Over a coffee with a well known writer last week, we discussed having played in occasional charity games with ex-pro footballers, who would rage at you for a misplaced pass, and if defeated would take it as a personal insult.
That’s the kind of attitude which separates the winners from the rest of us. Inside the Mark Beaumonts of this world there is a self imposed ordinance to push themselves to levels beyond anything they or we, might assume anyone to be capable of reaching.
Some of us might be puzzled as to why Mark Beaumont would drive himself to the very limits of endurance and beyond, but we should still feel a sense of wonder at the triumph of his incredible human spirit.
