Alec Riddle is training for the 2010 SA Ironman. Alec aka 'The Ridler' is a former SA Senior Triathlon Champion(1990) and represented SA in the 1986 London to Paris triathlon.

Alec retired from sporting competitions, due to injury and literally and figuratively, 'ballooned' to 104kg and it was the tragic passing of his stepson Reece (aged 19) that was the catalyst to Alec getting involved in sporting competitions once again.

"I can remember standing at Reece's bedside, looking at him fighting for his life on life support and saying to myself, that I have a choice, I can continue on the downward spiral or choose the high road and improve myself. I made a commitment that day to do something about my health and fitness and also that I would not let Reece's passing be in vain," said Alec.

 

Riddle recalls the commitments he made almost 6 years ago, saying "Reece was the spark and right now their is a raging flame within, fueling me to be the best I can be. In 2005 I set myself a goal for 2010 and it was to get to the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. While I have no idea if I will get there, or how well I can do, nobody else will dream for me, or believe I can achieve, in fact if I had to listen to most I would be fighting a lost cause. But, I choose to believe that I can achieve infinitely more than they, or even I think possible, especially with faith, so I am in pursuit of a goal, a big goal and who knows where it will take me?"

 

The Ridler says he is prepared to spend time in the valley of preparation, in an effort to crest the mountain top. I realise their are many people chasing that one qualifying spot (in my age group) for Hawaii, so I need to ensure I prepare to the best of my ability, that I try and get my 'chassis' into the best shape possible in order to be ready to do battle and to do this will take many sacrifices, not only from myself, but from my family and work colleagues too.

 

Training is sometimes fun and sometimes a pain in the butt, especially those 6hour+ rides. Sometimes that alarm clock goes at 5 in the morning and it is very cold and blowing a gale outside but you gotta do what you gotta do, as there is no shortcut to success. You just have to believe to achieve and I believe I can achieve my goals as long as I can keep myself motivated. Motivated to put in the necessary hours, motivated to say no to the chocolates, biscuits and beers when necessary. This is very difficult as you often feel like a muffin, or some chips or a chocolate, but success is the result of hundreds of conscious little decisions in the interests of long term benefits and achieving your goals.

 

Having said that training can be fun and staying motivated is not as difficult as it may sound and right now I am highly motivated, putting in some really good miles on the bike. Shedding the surplus kilos is also exciting as you get a double benefit when you train, fitness and weight loss... it's almost like those Wacky Wednesdays at Steers.

 

Thanks for your support, I hope you believe in me, because I need all the support I can get and to keep a fire alive, you need to add more fuel (wood/coal) and for my inner flame to keep on firing, I need encouragement and positive reinforcement.