What I learned when I conquered the world's toughest triathlon | Minda Dentler

Translator: Lulu Fitri Rahman Reviewer: Ade Indarta

It was October 13, 2012,

Tanggal 13 Oktober 2012,

a day that I will never forget.

hari yang tak akan kulupakan.

I was on my bike, pushing up what seemed like a never-ending barren hill.

Aku sedang bersepeda, menyusuri bukit tandus yang seakan tak berujung.

And it wasn't just any hill:

Dan ini bukan bukit biasa,

it was a 15-mile climb up to a town called Hawi

melainkan tanjakan sejauh 25 kilometer menuju kota bernama Hawi

on the Big Island of Hawaii.

di Pulau Besar Hawaii.

And it wasn't just any ride:

Dan ini bukan perjalanan biasa,

it was at the Ironman World Championship.

melainkan Kejuaraan Dunia Ironman.

I can still feel my muscles burning.

Aku masih bisa merasakan nyeri ototku.

I was struggling, tired and dehydrated,

Aku berjuang, kelelahan dan dehidrasi,

as I could feel the heat

dan bisa kurasakan hawa panas

emanating from the asphalt, measuring almost 98 degrees.

memancar dari aspal, yang hampir 37 derajat Celsius.

I was near the halfway point of the bike portion

Aku hampir separuh jalan etape bersepeda

of one of the most prestigious, longest,

di salah satu ajang lomba ketahanan satu hari

single-day endurance race events in the world.

paling prestisius dan paling lama di dunia.

Every year, during my childhood,

Setiap tahun, sewaktu kecil,

I watched this very race on TV in our family living room.

aku menonton lomba ini di TV ruang duduk keluargaku.

I sat next to my dad on our 1970s-style orange and brown sofa,

Aku duduk di sebelah ayahku di sofa oranye-cokelat model 1970-an,

and I remember being in utter awe

dan aku ingat luar biasa kagum

at how these athletes pushed themselves to their limit

menonton para atlet ini berjuang habis-habisan

in this grueling race.

di lomba yang melelahkan ini.

And just so you don't get the wrong idea,

Agar Anda tidak salah tangkap,

my family members weren't just spectators.

anggota keluargaku bukanlah penonton biasa.

They were incredibly athletic,

Mereka sangat atletis,

and I always participated from the sidelines,

dan aku selalu berpartisipasi dari garis pinggir,

cheering on my three siblings or handing out water at local races.

menyemangati ketiga saudaraku atau menyerahkan air di lomba setempat.

I remember wanting so badly to be able to compete, but I couldn't.

Aku ingat sangat ingin bisa bertanding, tapi tidak bisa.

Even though I couldn't play sports,

Meski aku tidak bisa berolahraga,

I decided to be active in my community.

kuputuskan untuk aktif di komunitasku.

I volunteered at the local hospital in high school.

Sewaktu SMA, aku menjadi relawan di rumah sakit setempat.

In college, I interned at the White House,

Saat kuliah, aku magang di Gedung Putih,

studied abroad in Spain

belajar di Spanyol

and backpacked through Europe all by myself

dan berkeliling Eropa membawa ransel sendirian

with my leg braces and crutches.

dengan penyangga kaki dan kruk.

Upon graduating, I moved to New York City for a job in management consulting,

Setelah lulus, aku pindah ke New York City untuk bekerja sebagai konsultan manajemen,

earned an MBA, got married

meraih MBA, menikah,

and now have a daughter.

dan kini punya anak perempuan.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

At age 28, I was introduced to the sport of hand-cycling,

Umur 28, aku dikenalkan dengan olahraga sepeda tangan,

and then triathlon,

lalu triatlon,

and by luck, I met Jason Fowler, an Ironman World Champion,

dan kebetulan, aku bertemu Jason Fowler, Juara Dunia Ironman,

at a camp for athletes with disabilities.

di kamp untuk atlet difabel,

And like me, he competed in a wheelchair.

Sepertiku, dia berlomba dengan kursi roda.

And with his encouragement, at age 34,

Dan dengan dorongannya, pada umur 34,

I decided to go after Kona.

kuputuskan untuk mengikuti Kona.

The Kona, or Hawaii Ironman

Kona, atau Ironman Hawaii

is the oldest Iron-distance race in the sport,

adalah lomba triatlon jarak ultra-jauh tertua,

and if you're not familiar, it's like the Super Bowl of triathlon.

dan jika Anda tidak familier, ini mirip Super Bowl-nya triatlon.

And the Ironman, for a wheelchair athlete like me,

Dan Ironman, bagi atlet kursi roda sepertiku,

consists of a 2.4-mile open-water swim in the Pacific Ocean,

terdiri atas berenang sejauh 3,8 kilometer di perairan terbuka Samudra Pasifik,

a 112-mile hand cycle ride in lava fields --

mengayuh sepeda tangan sejauh 180 kilometer di medan lava --

now, that sounds exotic,

mungkin terdengar eksotis,

but it's not as scenic as it sounds, and it's pretty desolate --

tapi tempatnya tidak seindah itu dan cukup gersang --

and then you top it off with a marathon,

dan diakhiri dengan maraton,

or a 26.2-mile run in 90-degree heat

atau berlari sejauh 42 kilometer dalam suhu 32 derajat Celsius

using a racing wheelchair.

menggunakan kursi roda balap.

That's right, it's a total distance of 140.6 miles using just your arms

Benar, total jaraknya 226,3 kilometer, dengan hanya menggunakan lengan

in less than 17 hours.

dalam waktu kurang dari 17 jam.

No female wheelchair athlete had ever completed the race

Belum pernah ada atlet wanita kursi roda yang menyelesaikan lomba itu

because of the strict, seemingly impossible cutoff times.

karena waktu pancung yang ketat dan sepertinya mustahil.

And so there I was,

Dan di sanalah aku berada,

putting it all out on the line.

berjuang habis-habisan.

And when I finally reached the top of that 15-mile climb,

Dan ketika akhirnya tiba di puncak tanjakan 24 kilometer itu,

I was discouraged.

aku patah semangat.

There was no way I was going to make that swim in my time limit

Tidak mungkin aku menyelesaikan etape renang dalam waktu

of 10 and a half hours,

sepuluh setengah jam,

because I was almost two hours off pace.

karena aku ketinggalan hampir dua jam.

I had to make the agonizing decision

Aku terpaksa membuat keputusan menyakitkan

to quit.

untuk berhenti.

I removed my timing chip, and I handed it over to a race official.

Aku mencopot cip pencatat waktu, dan menyerahkannya kepada panitia lomba.

My day was done.

Hariku berakhir.

My best friend Shannon and my husband Shawn

Sahabatku Shannon dan suamiku Shawn

were waiting at the top of Hawi to drive me back to town.

menunggu di puncak Hawi untuk mengantarku kembali ke kota.

And on my way back to town, I began to cry.

Dan selama perjalanan pulang, aku mulai menangis.

I had failed.

Aku telah gagal.

My dream of completing the Ironman World Championship

Impianku menyelesaikan Kejuaraan Dunia Ironman

was crushed.

pupus sudah.

I was embarrassed.

Aku malu.

I felt like I'd messed up.

Aku merasa hancur.

I worried about what my friends, my family and people at work

Aku mencemaskan pendapat teman-teman, keluarga, dan rekan kerjaku

would think of me.

tentang aku.

What was I going to put on Facebook?

Apa yang akan kupasang di Facebook?

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

How was I going to explain to everyone

Bagaimana aku menjelaskan pada semua orang

that things didn't go the way I had assumed or planned?

bahwa situasinya tidak berjalan sesuai rencana?

A few weeks later I was talking to Shannon about the Kona "disaster,"

Beberapa minggu kemudian, aku mengobrol dengan Shannon tentang "musibah" Kona,

and she said this to me:

dan dia berkata:

"Minda, big dreams and goals can only be realized when you're ready to fail."

"Minda, mimpi besar dan cita-cita hanya dapat terwujud jika kau siap gagal."

I knew I had to put that failure behind me in order to move forward,

Aku tahu aku harus melupakan kegagalanku untuk terus maju,

and it wouldn't be the first time that I had faced insurmountable odds.

dan ini bukan pertama kalinya aku menghadapi rintangan sulit.

I was born in Bombay, India,

Aku lahir di Bombay, India,

and just before my first birthday, I contracted polio,

dan persis sebelum ulang tahun pertama, aku terkena polio,

which left me paralyzed from the hips down.

yang membuatku lumpuh dari pinggul ke bawah.

Unable to care for me, my birth mother left me at an orphanage.

Tak sanggup merawat, ibu kandungku meninggalkanku di panti asuhan.

Fortunately, I was adopted by an American family,

Untungnya aku diadopsi sebuah keluarga Amerika,

and I moved to Spokane, Washington

dan aku pindah ke Spokane, Washington

just shortly after my third birthday.

tak lama setelah ulang tahun ketiga.

Over the next few years, I underwent a series of surgeries

Beberapa tahun berikutnya, aku menjalani serangkaian operasi

on my hips, my legs and my back

di pinggul, kaki, dan punggung

that allowed me to walk with leg braces and crutches.

agar aku bisa berjalan dengan penyangga kaki dan kruk.

As a child, I struggled with my disability.

Sewaktu kecil, aku sulit menerima cacatku.

I felt like I didn't fit in.

Aku merasa tidak bisa membaur.

People stared at me all the time,

Orang-orang selalu memandangiku,

and I was embarrassed about wearing a back brace and leg braces,

dan aku malu harus mengenakan penyangga punggung dan kaki,

and I always hid my chicken legs under my pants.

dan aku selalu menyembunyikan kakiku di balik celana panjang.

As a young girl, I thought thick, heavy braces on my legs

Sebagai gadis remaja, aku merasa penyangga kaki yang tebal dan berat

did not look pretty or feminine.

tidak terlihat cantik atau feminin.

Among my generation, I am one of the very few individuals in the US

Di generasiku, aku satu dari sangat sedikit orang di AS

who are living with paralysis by polio today.

yang menderita lumpuh akibat polio.

Many people who contract polio in developing countries

Banyak penderita polio di negara berkembang

do not have access to the same medical care, education,

yang tidak mendapat akses ke pelayanan kesehatan, pendidikan,

or opportunities like I have had in America.

atau peluang seperti yang kudapatkan di Amerika.

Many do not even live to reach adulthood.

Bahkan banyak yang tidak mencapai usia remaja.

I have the humbling knowledge that, had I not been adopted,

Aku sadar betul seandainya tidak diadopsi,

I most certainly wouldn't be in front of you today.

aku tidak akan ada di depan Anda hari ini.

I may not even be alive.

Bahkan belum tentu aku masih hidup.

All of us, in our own lives,

Kita semua, dalam kehidupan kita,

may face seemingly insurmountable goals.

mungkin punya cita-cita yang sepertinya sulit diraih.

I want to share with you what I learned

Aku ingin membagikan apa yang kupelajari

when I tried again.

setelah mencoba lagi.

One year after my first attempt,

Setahun setelah percobaan pertamaku,

on a sunny Saturday morning,

pada Sabtu pagi yang cerah,

my husband Shawn

suamiku Shawn

dumped me into the ocean at the Kona Pier

menurunkan aku di lautan di Dermaga Kona

and, with 2,500 of my closest friends and competitors,

dan, bersama 2.500 teman dekat dan sainganku,

we started swimming as that cannon went off promptly at 7am.

kami mulai berenang begitu terdengar aba-aba tepat pukul 7 pagi.

I focused on one stroke at a time, staying in between bodies,

Aku mengayuh satu demi satu, tetap berkonsentrasi,

counting my strokes --

menghitung kayuhanku --

one, two, three, four --

satu, dua, tiga, empat --

and lifting my head to sight every so often

dan sesekali mengangkat kepala buat melihat

just so I wouldn't get too off track.

agar aku tidak melenceng dari jalur.

And when I finally reached the shoreline,

Ketika akhirnya aku tiba di garis pantai,

Shawn picked me up, and he carried me out of the water.

Shawn mengangkatku dari air.

I was so stunned and thrilled when Shawn had told me I had managed

Aku begitu kaget dan gembira saat Shawn bilang aku berhasil

a one-hour-and-43-minute swim time.

menempuh waktu renang 1 jam 43 menit.

On to the bike segment.

Pada etape sepeda,

I had eight hours and 45 minutes to complete the 112-mile bike course.

aku menyelesaikan jarak 180 kilometer dalam waktu 8 jam 45 menit.

I broke up the course in seven- to 10-mile segments in my mind

Di benakku, aku sengaja memecah rutenya menjadi 10 hingga 15 etape

just to reduce the enormity of the race.

hanya untuk mengurangi kedahsyatan lomba ini.

The first 40 miles, they clipped by as we benefited from a little tail wind.

Jarak 60 kilometer pertama cukup mudah karena kami terbantu dorongan angin.

By 4pm, I had made it to mile 94,

Pukul 4 sore, aku tiba di kilometer 150,

and I did the math and I realized I was in serious time jeopardy

dan setelah berhitung, aku baru sadar waktuku dalam masalah besar

because I had 18 miles to go and less than 90 minutes,

sebab masih 29 kilometer yang harus kutempuh kurang dari 90 menit

and that included a few sizable hill climbs.

dan itu termasuk beberapa tanjakan yang cukup panjang.

I was stressed out, and I was scared

Aku sangat stres dan cemas

that I wasn't going to make that time cutoff again.

bahwa aku akan gagal lagi mencapai waktu pancung.

At this point, I pushed my internal voice aside that said,

Pada titik ini, aku berusaha menyingkirkan suara hati yang berkata,

"This hurts. Quit."

"Ini menyakitkan. Berhentilah."

And I told myself, "Minda, you better focus.

Dan aku berusaha berpikir, "Minda, kau harus fokus.

Focus on what you can control,

Fokus pada yang bisa kaukendalikan,

and that is your attitude and your effort."

yaitu sikap dan upayamu."

I resolved to be OK being uncomfortable,

Aku bertekad tak masalah merasa tidak nyaman,

and I told myself, "Push harder,

dan dalam hati aku berkata, "Dorong lebih keras,

forget about the pain,

lupakan sakitnya,

and keep that laser focus."

dan jaga fokus sungguh-sungguh."

For the next 90 minutes, I cranked as though my life depended on it.

Selama 90 menit berikutnya, aku berjuang seolah nyawaku di ujung tanduk.

And when I rolled into town,

Dan saat tiba di kota,

I heard on the loudspeaker,

dari pengeras suara aku mendengar,

"Minda Dentler is one of the last competitors to make the bike cutoff."

"Minda Dentler salah satu peserta terakhir yang tiba sebelum waktu pancung sepeda."

I did it!

Aku berhasil!

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

By only three minutes.

Kurang tiga menit lagi.

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

It was 5:27pm,

Saat itu pukul 17.27,

and I had been racing for 10-and-a-half hours.

dan aku telah berpacu selama 10 setengah jam.

The first 10 miles of the run went pretty quickly,

Lima belas kilometer pertama etape lari terasa cepat,

as I was so excited to finally pass people

dan aku gembira akhirnya bisa melampaui orang-orang

with my three wheels to their two feet.

dengan kursi roda tigaku.

The sun quickly went down,

Matahari terbenam dengan cepat,

and I found myself pulling up to the bottom of Palani hill,

dan sampai juga aku di dasar bukit Palani,

looking straight into a half-mile hill that looked like Mt. Everest

yang menghadap ke tanjakan sepanjang 1 kilometer mirip Gunung Everest

at mile 124 of the race.

di kilometer 200 lomba ini.

My friends and family were ready at their stations

Teman-teman dan keluargaku bersiap di posisi mereka

to talk me up that hill.

untuk menyemangatiku menaiki bukit itu.

I was struggling, tired,

Aku berjuang keras, kelelahan,

desperately gripping those rims just so I wouldn't tip backwards.

dengan susah payah mencengkeram pelek roda agar aku tidak terjengkang.

When I finally reached the top of that hill,

Ketika akhirnya mencapai puncak bukit,

I turned left onto a very lonely 15-mile stretch onto the Queen K Highway,

aku belok kiri dan tiba di Queen K Highway yang sunyi sepanjang 24 kilometer,

totally exhausted.

luar biasa lelah.

I pressed on, focusing on one push at a time.

Aku melaju, berkonsentrasi mengayuh satu demi satu.

By 9:30pm,

Pada pukul 21.30,

I made that final right-hand turn onto Ali'i Drive.

aku tiba di tikungan terakhir menuju Ali'i Drive.

I heard the crowd's roar, and I was overcome with emotion.

Aku mendengar sorak-sorai penonton, dan emosi membanjiriku.

I crossed that finish line.

Aku melewati garis finis.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

(Applause ends)

(Tepuk tangan berakhir)

And my final time was 14 hours and 39 minutes.

Dan total waktu tempuhku adalah 14 jam 39 menit.

For the first time in the 35-year history,

Untuk pertama kalinya setelah 35 tahun terselenggara,

a female wheelchair athlete

seorang atlet wanita berkursi roda

completed the Ironman World Championship.

menyelesaikan Kejuaraan Dunia Ironman.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)

(Applause ends)

(Tepuk tangan berakhir)

And it wasn't just any female athlete.

Dan bukan sembarang atlet wanita.

It was me.

Tapi aku.

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

A paralyzed orphan from India.

Anak yatim lumpuh asal India.

Against all odds, I achieved my dream,

Meski mustahil, aku meraih mimpiku,

and through this very personal commitment to myself,

dan melalui komitmen yang sangat pribadi ini,

I slowly realized that completing the Ironman

perlahan aku sadar, menyelesaikan Ironman

was about more than conquering Kona.

bukan sekadar soal menaklukkan Kona.

It was about conquering polio

Ini soal menaklukkan polio

and other disabling but preventable diseases,

dan penyakit melumpuhkan lain yang dapat dicegah,

not only for myself,

bukan hanya untukku,

but for the millions of children

melainkan untuk jutaan anak

who have been and still will be afflicted by vaccine-preventable diseases.

yang telah dan masih terserang berbagai penyakit yang bisa dicegah vaksin.

Today, we are closer than ever to eliminating one of those diseases

Saat ini tidak mustahil lagi untuk membasmi salah satu penyakit itu

everywhere in the world.

di mana pun di dunia.

In the mid-1980s, polio once paralyzed more than 350,000 children a year

Tahun 1980-an, polio melumpuhkan lebih dari 350.000 anak per tahun

in more than 125 countries.

di lebih dari 125 negara.

That amounted to a staggering 40 cases an hour.

Itu artinya 40 kasus setiap jam.

By contrast, so far this year,

Sebaliknya, tahun ini,

the last endemic countries have reported a total of only 12 cases.

negara-negara endemis terakhir melaporkan total hanya 12 kasus.

Since 1988, more than 2.5 billion children have been immunized against polio,

Sejak 1988, lebih dari 2,5 juta anak mendapat imunisasi polio,

and an estimated 16 million children,

dan diperkirakan 16 juta anak,

who otherwise would have been paralyzed like me,

yang jika tidak diimunisasi mungkin lumpuh seperti aku,

are walking.

bisa berjalan.

Despite this incredible progress,

Meskipun kemajuannya luar biasa,

we know that until it's eradicated,

kita tahu selama belum dibasmi,

polio remains a very real threat,

polio tetap menjadi ancaman serius,

especially to children in the poorest communities of the world.

terutama bagi anak-anak di wilayah termiskin di dunia.

It can reemerge in some of the most remote and dangerous places,

Polio bisa muncul kembali di sebagian tempat paling terpencil dan berbahaya,

and from there, it can spread.

dan dari sana, menyebar.

And so this is my new Ironman:

Jadi, inilah Ironman baruku:

to end polio.

memberantas polio.

And I am reminded every day,

Dan setiap hari aku diingatkan,

when I look at my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Maya.

saat memandang putriku Maya yang kini berusia dua setengah tahun.

She is able to climb a ladder in the park,

Dia bisa menaiki panjatan di taman,

push her scooter or kick a ball across the grass.

mendorong skuternya atau menendang bola di lapangan.

Almost everything that I see her do at her age

Hampir semua hal yang kulihat bisa dia lakukan seusianya

reminds me of what I could not do at that age.

mengingatkan aku pada apa yang tidak bisa kulakukan seusia itu.

And when she was two months old,

Dan ketika umurnya dua bulan,

I took her to get her first polio vaccine.

dia mendapat vaksin polionya yang pertama.

And when the doctor came in the room to prepare the shot,

Dan ketika dokter datang ke ruangan untuk bersiap menyuntik,

I asked him if I could take a picture to document the moment.

aku bertanya apakah boleh memotret momen ini sebagai dokumentasi.

When we left the room,

Saat kami ke luar ruangan,

I could feel my eyes welling up with tears.

kurasakan air mataku menggenang.

I cried the entire way home.

Aku menangis sepanjang jalan pulang.

It was in that moment that I realized

Saat itulah aku tersadar

that my daughter's life would be very different from mine.

bahwa kehidupan putriku akan sangat berbeda dariku.

She will never be faced with the crippling disability of polio,

Dia tidak akan lumpuh akibat polio,

because a vaccine was available, and I chose to get her immunized.

karena vaksinnya tersedia, dan aku memilih dia diimunisasi.

She can do anything she wants,

Dia bisa berbuat apa pun yang dia inginkan,

as can each of you.

seperti halnya Anda semua.

(Laughter)

(Tertawa)

Now I'd like to leave you all with one question:

Sekarang saya ingin meninggalkan satu pertanyaan:

what is your Ironman?

apakah Ironman Anda?

Thank you.

Terima kasih.

(Applause)

(Tepuk tangan)