Because It’s There

Seven hundred of us milled our way down to the water's edge; I was about to start a triathlon. This had all started six months earlier, high on beer and bravado. Now, I was wedged into a wetsuit with numbers written on my ankle.

The first stage was a half-mile swim with hundreds of people pushing against me. By the time I hit the 18-mile bike ride, I thought, the crowds would thin out. And, if all went according to plan, two hours later the five-mile run - and the race - would be over.

After months of preparation, I still was not certain that I could finish this race. I tried to recall the wisdom of the adage, "The unexamined life is not worth living."

Nervous swimmers plucked at the latex squeezing their heads. We stared at the black water as the theme song from "Jaws" blasted over the speakers.

Why is this my favorite adventure? The greatest rewards are the risks overcome by personal endurance. To win at chance or by innate skill requires little fortitude, but to succeed where the only requirement is will power is deeply satisfying. -Phil Lambert, CIO, Mitsui Sumitomo