Beyond Speed and Skill

Do you know who Eliud Kipchoge Rotich is? How about Feyisa Lilesa or Galen Rupp? Maybe not, but I’ll bet you’ve at least heard of Usain Bolt. And you probably still remember guys like Carl Lewis and Michael Johnston even though neither has really competed in the last couple decades. We are wowed by the flashiness of speed. It grabs our attention and holds it captive.

We are also mesmerized by obvious display of seemingly otherworldly skill, such as Simone Biles in floor routine, who just made history with her sixth all-around US gymnastics title. Conspicuous displays of talent and speed are hard to ignore. Stamina, however, is far less exciting. It may even be boring.

Rotich, Lilesa and Rupp are the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal winners respectively from the 2016 Olympic Marathon. Eliud Kipchoge Rotich finished the course in just over two hours, 2:08:44 to be exact. That means his average speed was 12.2 miles per hour. But that speed is nothing remarkable by itself. A lot of people can run 12 miles per hour. What earned Rotich the Gold Medal is he kept up that average pace for OVER TWENTY-SIX FREAKING MILES!?! If I really pushed myself, maybe I could have kept up with him for the first 800 meters, then I would need to call Uber. No doubt, Rotich has speed, but not enough to grab your attention. There is certainly a great deal of technique and strategy in a marathon, but it’s very subtle and imperceptible to the average observer. What makes Rotich phenomenal is stamina.

Stamina isn’t sexy, flashy or even remarkable (at least not in the moment). You might even say it’s dull and monotonous. But stamina is something you can control. God might not have made you particularly athletic, quick and coordinated. But choosing to not quit is entirely up to you. Simply continuing to move forward, regardless of your speed, will lead to many victories in your life. Even if you walk the 26.2 miles of a marathon, you will still be in select company for simply having completed such a daunting objective.

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