As Sri Lanka gets ready for the second edition on IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo, on February 24, 2019, a global IRONMAN icon Julie Moss is set to land on the shores of the island.
She is set to meet and speak to professionals about her IRONMAN experiences at a sip and share event on 21 February 2019, at the Shangri-La Colombo.
Julie will speak on what it takes to summon the strength of body and mind in sport and beyond.
The moment that defined history
In 1982, Julie Moss, a 23-year-old graduate student, arrived on the Big Island of Hawaii to run a triathlon as part of her research for her senior thesis project in exercise. With little preparation and no real competitive experience in any of the three disciplines, she was crazy enough to think she could complete a little-known race called IRONMAN triathlon – a 226 Km race involving swimming 3.8 km, cycling 180 km and running 42.2 km, and all done back-to-back. However, in place of lack of preparedness, what she brought to the Big Island was her willpower and a positive attitude that would be put to test later in the race.
During the race, she finds herself in an unusual position of leading the women race field with a 20-minute gap between her and the nearest rival. Then 200m from the finish line she started to lose her bodily functions and her race lead came unravelling. She fell over and over again but still kept going. She tried to run, her body wouldn’t let her run, she tried to walk still her body wouldn’t let her. Then she started to crawl. She was passed by Kathleen McCartney who won that race mere 10m from the finish line.
Her indomitable willpower saw her refusing to give up and to break through her physical limits to finish the race in second place – the most famous 2nd place finish. This defining moment was captured on TV by ABC’s Wide World of Sports and telecasted all over the world inspiring millions to re-imagine possibilities.
Julie Moss is a member of the IRONMAN Hall of Fame and 10-time IRONMAN finisher.
An ideal event for corporates as it gives senior executives inspiration and insight on how they can achieve or work towards achieving your goals even in tough times. Speaking about her arrival in Sri Lanka, Julie Moss said, “It’s always encouraging to see new destinations for IRONMAN, I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with Sri Lanka and as they say in IRONMAN ‘anything is possible’. I had a spiritual awakening in 1982 that taught me what it takes to be a champion, which is a deep connection between body and mind. You have to start with something unimaginable and then let it percolate not just in your mind, but down to your heart. When you get your heart and your mind going, your body will follow.”
IRONMAN is all about finishing what you started. It is a statement of excellence, passion, commitment. It is a test of physical toughness and mental strength. IRONMAN is about persevering, enduring and being a part of something larger than ourselves. It shows the heights that can be achieved when we push beyond our boundaries and go the distance to earn the title… IRONMAN!
Challenge yourself by being part of the sip and share with Julie Moss, for more information contact 077 212 1266.
