“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.” THEODORE ROOSEVELT (Paris Sorbonne,1910)

IT may sound like a cliche but it is true that it is the taking part that counts.
On Saturday my friend Ian withdrew from the monster that is The Bob Graham Round - a 74 mile 24 hour footrace covering 42 peaks with an ascent of 28,500ft.

After getting lost in the mist and missing one of the compulsory summits he had little choice but to call it a day - after running over ten hours throughout the night and most importantly after gearing up for this awesome event for almost 12 months.
Gutted is not the word.

As one of his support runners who have watched him train over recent months - normally from behind as he shoots ahead gazelle-like down some treacherous ankle-breaking near vertical slope - I was devastated for him.

(Relieved for myself as my trainers never even got the chance to get muddy - but over- ridingly devastated for him and the others who didn’t quite make it).

For tackling such a massive test of physical and mental endurance takes balls.
And to risk not only life and limb to push yourself to the limits of what it is possible physically but also risk the chance of failure takes out and out bravery.

Whether you actually make it or not in the face of such adverse conditions does not really matter.

Like Roosevelt said ... at least Ian had put himself in the arena.

Most people will have little appreciation of what Ian did actually achieve out there this weekend.
I was due to start running with him at between 7 and 9pm on Saturday - after he had set off at 1am - some 20 hours earlier - into some of the UK’s toughest terrain with only a head torch and compass to guide him.

This guy has committed himself to hours upon hours of the toughest training I certainly have ever done to prepare for this run only for conditions to conspire against him.

So like two out of three all Bob Graham virgins he didn’t make it this time. But so what?
How many people could have even accomplished the ten hours he put in before having to retire?
What he did was awesome.

And to have tested himself in this way deserves admiration and respect.

They say you can’t keep a good man down (another cliche for you) and already Ian has gathered mind, body and spirit and committed himself to tackling the Bob Graham again next year.

And I for one would be honoured to again be asked join him in that arena to experience either great triumph or daringly great failure.

Like Ian and the others who like to push their own personal boundaries I would rather have failed while taking part than be one of those “cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

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