MULTISPORT
Lessons in Survival Skills
Sales guru , successful entrepreneur and now international speaker , Richard Wright is a survivor of stage-four brain cancer , having overcome all the odds in beating the disease while still competing in some of the world ’ s toughest endurance events , including full Ironman triathlons . Now he is sharing his positivity and purpose through his speaking and his new book . – BY SEAN FALCONER
Coming out of the water at the 2019 Ironman
70.3 in Durban , Richard Wright was just congratulating himself on a good swim and mentally preparing for the upcoming bike leg , all the time thinking that his complete lack of fitness was fortunately not proving a problem as yet , when disaster struck . Well , it would have been a disaster for most triathletes , but Richard is no ordinary triathlete ! “ I had a great swim , but coming out of the water I was dumped by a freak wave and dislocated my shoulder . I just asked the race doctor to pop it back in , and then went on to finish race ,” says Richard with a genuine lack of false bravado . That just isn ’ t his way .
“ A month later , I was still struggling with the shoulder , so I went to see the surgeon . He said he was pretty confident it was just dislocated , but sent me for an X-ray just to be sure . When he showed me the result , he said the top of my humerus was dented in it and shaved off , and it was clearly broken . He
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then asked me how on earth I finished an Ironman event like that ? I said , it just shows what the power of the mind can achieve , and that overcoming obstacles is possible .”
It really should come as no surprise that a broken shoulder could not stop Richard from finishing that race , because he has already overcome so much in his ongoing battle with pituitary cancer , a rare form of brain cancer that is usually considered terminal . Over and over again , Richard has shown that no matter what it takes – physical suffering , or putting mind over matter – he will power his way to the finish line … But even by his standards , that 70.3 in Durban was a rough one .
“ In early April 2019 , I was Interviewed live on TV by Vaylen Kirtley , and she asked me what my next race was . I suddenly realised I had nothing lined up , so I just said the Durban 70.3 , which I thought was at the end of June . When I got off the set , I immediately looked up the date and saw I had just seven weeks to get ready for the race on the second of June ! In the end , I went into the race having done just one swim , two rides and two runs !” says Richard . “ Even though I had done so little training , I was determined just to get to the start line , because my philosophy is that a DNF is better than a DNS . I think we tend to focus on obstacles and thus hold ourselves back , but once we start , those obstacles often disappear .”
Ironman Calling
Richard began his Ironman journey in 2007 . He had done triathlons before , but had taken a six-year break from the sport while focusing on his marriage to Kirsten and pursuing his career in real estate . Then in November 2006 he decided he felt like racing again , partly because cracks had begun to appear in his marriage and he needed an outlet , and he went on to finish 23rd at the SA Long Course Champs that January . “ Then friends suggested I tackle the Ironman in PE , and I thought , what the hell ,” he says .
Images : Courtesy Richard Wright