There are many people that I admire. People who accomplish great things but more so those who have overcome adversity and are still positive and make the best of their circumstances. People who do it tough and don’t have the things I take for granted every day – good health, family and living in a safe and beautiful place – and yet they are still grateful for what they have.

It’s a tricky topic for me to pick for a photo challenge since I don’t really have photos like that to share so I chose instead to go with my admiration for people who do endurance sport. It takes incredible motivation, dedication, endless hours of training, perseverance, willpower and tenacity to complete what they set out to do.

My husband is one of those people who loves endurance sport and has completed 10 Comrades Marathons (a 90 kilometre ultra-marathon in South Africa), 16 Two Oceans Marathons (a 56 kilometre ultra-marathon in South Africa), more than 50 marathons,  2 Ironman, a few Half-Ironmans but the latest and arguably the most admirable in my mind is the Rottnest Channel Swim (a 19.7 kilometre swim from Cottesloe Beach near Perth to Rottnest Island). Last year when he did the solo swim, the conditions were very tough (one  swimmer’s support boat sunk) and it required pure strength of will to keep going and be able to step out on dry land on the other side after about 10 hours of swimming.

I only have pure admiration for people who step off the beach, not touch a boat or kayak at all during that time and get their own bodies across a 19.7 kilometre stretch of ocean to the finish line.

Paddlers and support boats waiting for their swimmers with Rottnest Island in the background

View of the swimmers and support boats and kayaks. The mainland is in the background.

The swimmers, support boats and kayaks. Taken towards the island.

The finishing channel

(This week’s photo challenge is to show someone or something we admire, and tell something about them too.)