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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

It was October 13, 2012,

2012 年 10 月 13 日，

a day that I will never forget.

我永遠無法忘記的一天。

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

我騎著自行車，努力騎上 似乎無止盡的荒蕪山丘。

And it wasn't just any hill:

它不是任何山丘，

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

而是條 15 英哩的上坡路， 通往叫做哈維的小鎮，

on the Big Island of Hawaii.

位在夏威夷的大島上。

And it wasn't just any ride:

那並不是任何乘騎之旅，

it was at the Ironman World Championship.

而是鐵人三項世界錦標賽。

I can still feel my muscles burning.

我還能感覺到我的肌肉在燃燒。

I was struggling, tired and dehydrated,

我在掙扎、累壞了、脫水了，

as I could feel the heat

我可以感覺到熱度，

emanating from the asphalt, measuring almost 98 degrees.

柏油路散發的熱達華氏 98 度 （攝氏 37 度）。

I was near the halfway point of the bike portion

我已快完成一半的自行車程，

of one of the most prestigious, longest,

這是世界上最有名、最長的

single-day endurance race events in the world.

單日耐力賽事之一。

Every year, during my childhood,

在我兒時，每一年，

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

我會在家中的客廳看 這場比賽的電視轉播。

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

我和爸爸一起坐在一張 七〇年代風格的橘褐色沙發上，

and I remember being in utter awe

我還記得我感到完全的敬畏，

at how these athletes pushed themselves to their limit

佩服這些運動員如何 在這場累垮人的比賽中

in this grueling race.

把自己推向極限。

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

為了避免各位誤會，

my family members weren't just spectators.

我的家人並不只是旁觀的觀眾。

They were incredibly athletic,

他們在運動的表現很出色，

and I always participated from the sidelines,

而我總是在邊線旁參與他們的比賽，

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

為我的三位手足加油，或是 在當地比賽中遞水給他們。

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

我記得我好渴望自己 也能去競賽，但我不能。

Even though I couldn't play sports,

雖然我無法參與運動競賽，

I decided to be active in my community.

我決定要在社區中做個活躍的人。

I volunteered at the local hospital in high school.

高中時，我自願在當地醫院做志工。

In college, I interned at the White House,

大學時，我在白宮實習，

studied abroad in Spain

到西班牙讀書，

and backpacked through Europe all by myself

一個人當背包客在歐洲旅行了一年，

with my leg braces and crutches.

全靠我的腳支架和拐杖。

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

畢業後，我搬到紐約市， 去做一份管理諮詢的工作，

earned an MBA, got married

取得了企管碩士學位，結了婚，

and now have a daughter.

現在有個女兒。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

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

28 歲時，我接觸手搖車運動，

and then triathlon,

接著是鐵人三項，

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

運氣很好，我遇到了 鐵人世界冠軍傑森佛勒，

at a camp for athletes with disabilities.

地點是在一個身心障礙運動員營。

And like me, he competed in a wheelchair.

他跟我一樣，是用輪椅來競賽。

And with his encouragement, at age 34,

因為他的鼓舞，在 34 歲時，

I decided to go after Kona.

我決定要挑戰 Kona。

The Kona, or Hawaii Ironman

Kona，又稱夏威夷鐵人錦標賽，

is the oldest Iron-distance race in the sport,

是運動界中最古老的 鐵人長距離比賽，

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

如果你跟這個不熟， 那就像是鐵人三項的超級盃。

And the Ironman, for a wheelchair athlete like me,

對於像我這種輪椅運動員，

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

鐵人賽的內容包括 2.4 英哩的 太平洋開放水域長泳，

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

112 英哩火山熔岩地形的 手搖車賽──

now, that sounds exotic,

聽起來很有異國風情，

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

但景色並沒有聽起來那麼秀麗， 還挺荒蕪的──

and then you top it off with a marathon,

最後，再以馬拉松結束，

or a 26.2-mile run in 90-degree heat

那是華氏 90 度高溫下的 26.2 英里路程，

using a racing wheelchair.

用賽車輪椅。

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

是的，總距離 140.6 英哩， 通通都要靠手臂，

in less than 17 hours.

要在 17 小時內完成。

No female wheelchair athlete had ever completed the race

從來沒有任何一位女性 輪椅運動員完成過這項比賽，

because of the strict, seemingly impossible cutoff times.

因為這嚴格的時間限制， 幾乎是不可能達成。

And so there I was,

我參加了，

putting it all out on the line.

賭上了我的全力。

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

當我終於到達了那 15 英哩爬坡的頂點時，

I was discouraged.

我洩氣了。

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

我不可能在十個半小時的時間限制內

of 10 and a half hours,

完成游泳項目，

because I was almost two hours off pace.

因為我幾乎已經落後了兩個小時。

I had to make the agonizing decision

我得要做出痛苦的決定：

to quit.

放棄。

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

我取出了我的計時晶片， 把它交給工作人員。

My day was done.

我的那一天結束了。

My best friend Shannon and my husband Shawn

我最好的朋友香儂和我先生尚恩

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

在哈維的頂上等著，把我載回鎮上。

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

返回鎮上的路上，我開始哭泣。

I had failed.

我失敗了。

My dream of completing the Ironman World Championship

我想完成鐵人三項世界錦標賽的夢想

was crushed.

被粉碎了。

I was embarrassed.

我很不好意思。

I felt like I'd messed up.

我覺得我搞砸了。

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

我擔心朋友、家人、同事

would think of me.

會怎麼看我。

What was I going to put on Facebook?

我要在臉書上寫什麼？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

How was I going to explain to everyone

我要如何向大家解釋

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

實際狀況不如我所假設或計畫的？

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

幾週後，我和香儂 談到了這場 Kona「災難」，

and she said this to me:

她這樣對我說：

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

「敏達，只有當你準備好失敗時， 才有可能實現大夢想和大目標。」

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

我知道我得要放下那次失敗， 才能再向前走。

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

那並不是我第一次必須 面對無法克服的勝算。

I was born in Bombay, India,

我生在印度孟買，

and just before my first birthday, I contracted polio,

在我一歲生日前夕， 我得了小兒麻痺，

which left me paralyzed from the hips down.

使我臀部以下全都癱瘓。

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

我的生母無法照顧我， 把我留在孤兒院。

Fortunately, I was adopted by an American family,

幸運的是，我被一個美國家庭領養，

and I moved to Spokane, Washington

我搬到華盛頓州的史坡堪市，

just shortly after my third birthday.

那時我三歲多一點。

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

接下來的幾年， 我經歷了一連串的手術，

on my hips, my legs and my back

髖部、腿部、背部都動過手術，

that allowed me to walk with leg braces and crutches.

才讓我能夠用腳支架和拐杖來走路。

As a child, I struggled with my disability.

小時候，我為我的殘疾所苦。

I felt like I didn't fit in.

我覺得我無法融入。

People stared at me all the time,

人們總是會盯著我看，

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

對於穿戴著背架和腳支架， 我感到很不好意思，

and I always hid my chicken legs under my pants.

我總是用長褲把我細瘦的腿藏起來。

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

進入青春期時，我認為 我腳上的粗重支架

did not look pretty or feminine.

看起來不美麗或女性化。

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

在我那個世代，美國已經 很少有小兒麻痺患者了，

who are living with paralysis by polio today.

而我是其中之一。

Many people who contract polio in developing countries

在開發中國家，許多 感染到小兒麻痺的人

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

沒辦法取得和我一樣的 醫療照護、教育，

or opportunities like I have had in America.

或是機會，我在美國才能得到這些。

Many do not even live to reach adulthood.

許多人甚至沒辦法活到成年。

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

我所知道的事讓我謙卑： 如果我沒有被領養，

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

今天就非常有可能 不會站在各位面前，

I may not even be alive.

甚至不見得還能活著。

All of us, in our own lives,

我們所有人，在自己的人生中，

may face seemingly insurmountable goals.

都可能會面對似乎不能克服的目標。

I want to share with you what I learned

我想要和各位分享，當我 再次嘗試時，我學到了什麼。

when I tried again.

One year after my first attempt,

我初次嘗試的一年後，

on a sunny Saturday morning,

一個晴朗的星期六早晨，

my husband Shawn

我先生尚恩

dumped me into the ocean at the Kona Pier

把我丟到 Kona 碼頭的海洋裡，

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

另外還有 2,500 位 我最親密的朋友及競賽者，

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

早上七點砲聲準時響起， 我們就開始游泳。

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

我專注在每一次的划水， 待在人與人之間，

counting my strokes --

數著我划了幾下──

one, two, three, four --

一、二、三、四──

and lifting my head to sight every so often

我偶爾會把頭抬起來看一下，

just so I wouldn't get too off track.

確保我沒有偏離軌道。

And when I finally reached the shoreline,

當我終於抵達海岸線時，

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

尚恩把我拉起來，他抱我離開水。

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

我目瞪口呆且相當激動， 因為尚恩告訴我，

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

我完成游泳的時間 是 1 小時 43 分鐘。

On to the bike segment.

接著進入自行車的部分。

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

我有 8 小時 45 分可以完成 112 英哩的自行車路線。

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

我在腦中把這段路切割成 7 到 10 英哩的區段，

just to reduce the enormity of the race.

才不會覺得這場比賽那麼長。

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

因為順風， 前 40 英哩一下就過去了。

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

下午四點時，我已經 到了第 94 英哩，

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

我計算了一下，我發現 我的時間非常吃緊，

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

因為我還有 18 英哩路， 時間剩不到 90 分鐘，

and that included a few sizable hill climbs.

而且還有幾段蠻長的上坡路。

I was stressed out, and I was scared

我感到很有壓力，我很害怕，

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

我又沒辦法在時間內完成了。

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

這時候，我把我內在的聲音 推到一邊，那個聲音在說：

"This hurts. Quit."

「這好痛苦。放棄吧。」

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

我告訴我自己： 「敏達，你最好專心點。

Focus on what you can control,

專注在你能控制的事，

and that is your attitude and your effort."

也就是你的態度和盡力而為。」

I resolved to be OK being uncomfortable,

我下定決心，再不舒服也沒關係，

and I told myself, "Push harder,

我告訴自己：「再用力點，

forget about the pain,

忘掉痛苦，

and keep that laser focus."

保持那超級專注的注意力。」

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

接下來的 90 分鐘，我拼命加速， 好像攸關生死一樣。

And when I rolled into town,

當我騎到鎮上時，

I heard on the loudspeaker,

我從大聲的廣播聽到，

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

「敏達丹勒，是最後幾位達成 自行車截止時間的參賽者之一。」

I did it!

我辦到了！

(Applause)

（掌聲）

By only three minutes.

只差三分鐘就沒過。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It was 5:27pm,

那時是下午 5 點 27 分，

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

我已經比賽了十個半小時了。

The first 10 miles of the run went pretty quickly,

賽跑的部分，前 10 英哩很快速。

as I was so excited to finally pass people

因為我很興奮我終於超過了別人，

with my three wheels to their two feet.

我用三個輪子，超過他們的兩條腿。

The sun quickly went down,

太陽很快就下山了，

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

我發現自己停在帕拉尼山丘的底部，

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

直直看向那半英哩的山丘， 它看起就像聖母峰一樣，

at mile 124 of the race.

那是賽程中的第 124 英哩。

My friends and family were ready at their stations

我的朋友家人在他們的駐地準備好，

to talk me up that hill.

要說服、鼓勵我爬上山丘。

I was struggling, tired,

我很掙扎，累壞了，

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

死命地抓住輪子的邊緣 以免向後傾倒。

When I finally reached the top of that hill,

當我終於抵達山丘頂，

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

向左轉，進入非常寂寞的 15 英哩 賽道，上了 Queen K 公路，

totally exhausted.

我完全精疲力竭了。

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

加緊繼續前進，專注在一次推一下，

By 9:30pm,

到了晚上九點半，

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

我過了最後的右彎， 進入 Ali'i Drive 大街。

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

我聽見群眾在吼叫，我的情緒高漲。

I crossed that finish line.

我越過了終點線。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

(Applause ends)

（掌聲終止）

And my final time was 14 hours and 39 minutes.

我的完賽時間是 14 小時 39 分。

For the first time in the 35-year history,

在 35 年的歷史上，第一次

a female wheelchair athlete

有女性輪椅運動員

completed the Ironman World Championship.

完成了鐵人三項世界錦標賽。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

(Applause ends)

（掌聲終止）

And it wasn't just any female athlete.

而且不是任何一個女性運動員。

It was me.

是我呢。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

A paralyzed orphan from India.

來自印度的癱瘓孤兒。

Against all odds, I achieved my dream,

我衝破重重困難，完成了我的夢想，

and through this very personal commitment to myself,

透過這項對我自己的個人承諾，

I slowly realized that completing the Ironman

我慢慢了解到，完成鐵人三項

was about more than conquering Kona.

並不只是戰勝了 Kona。

It was about conquering polio

是戰勝了小兒麻痺，

and other disabling but preventable diseases,

以及其他會造成殘疾， 但可以避免的疾病，

not only for myself,

不只是為了我自己，

but for the millions of children

也為了那些被可透過疫苗避免之疾病

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

所影響且會繼續 被影響的數百萬孩子。

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

現今，我們比過去 更有機會能把那些疾病之一

everywhere in the world.

從世界各地消除。

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

在八〇年代中期，每年有超過 35 萬名孩童因為小兒麻痺而癱瘓，

in more than 125 countries.

遍及超過 125 個國家。

That amounted to a staggering 40 cases an hour.

那等同於每小時有 40 件案例發生，很驚人。

By contrast, so far this year,

相對的，今年到目前為止，

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

還有小兒麻痺流行的最後幾個國家， 目前只回報了 12 件案例。

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

1988 年起，有超過 25 億孩童 接種了小兒麻痺的疫苗，

and an estimated 16 million children,

估計如果沒這麼做的話，

who otherwise would have been paralyzed like me,

有 1,600 萬孩童本來會像我一樣癱瘓，

are walking.

但他們現在都在走路。

Despite this incredible progress,

儘管有這樣驚人的進展，

we know that until it's eradicated,

我們知道，除非小兒麻痺被根絕，

polio remains a very real threat,

否則它仍然是個非常真實的威脅，

especially to children in the poorest communities of the world.

特別是對在世界上 最貧窮之社區中的孩童來說。

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

它有可能會在最偏遠 及危險的地方重新出現，

and from there, it can spread.

它可能會從那裡擴散。

And so this is my new Ironman:

所以，這是我的新鐵人錦標賽：

to end polio.

終結小兒麻痺。

And I am reminded every day,

每天，當我看著兩歲半的女兒瑪雅時，

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

都會提醒我這一點。

She is able to climb a ladder in the park,

她能夠攀爬公園裡的梯子、

push her scooter or kick a ball across the grass.

推她的踏板車，或是把球踢過草坪。

Almost everything that I see her do at her age

我看著她在這年齡 所做的幾乎每一件事，

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

都提醒我，我在那個 年齡時無法做到。

And when she was two months old,

當她兩個月大時，

I took her to get her first polio vaccine.

我帶她去施打第一劑小兒麻痺疫苗。

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

當醫生進診療室準備施打時，

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

我問他，我能否拍張照片， 記錄這個時刻。

When we left the room,

當我們離開時，

I could feel my eyes welling up with tears.

我可以感覺到我的眼睛泛著淚水。

I cried the entire way home.

回家的路上我哭個不停。

It was in that moment that I realized

在那一刻，我才了解到，

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

我女兒的人生會和我的非常不同。

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

她永遠不會需要面臨 小兒麻痺帶來的殘疾，

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

因為疫苗是可以取得的， 而我選擇讓她免疫了。

She can do anything she wants,

她能做任何她想做的事，

as can each of you.

你們每個人也都能。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

最後我想留一個問題給各位：

what is your Ironman?

你的鐵人錦標賽是什麼？

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）