You ready!? Let’s go!
This is ten percent luck
Twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Fifty percent pleasure
Fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!
On August 18, 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark, these words played over and over for hours. Ten hours to be exact along with 27 minutes and 24 seconds. There was power of will. Skill. Pleasure. Pain. Luck. And a PAO Warrior’s name to remember!
Morten Sejer Thomsen is now officially an Ironman. He is also an example to hip dysplasia patients all over the world. He has set the bar high for Evangeline as she grows up. He has set the bar of hope and success for Joyleen as she recovers from her 9th hip surgery. He is leading the path for patients like Jenna, Jessica and Julie and for this Hopeful Hippy! He is an example of perseverance.
But regardless of whether you have hip problems, or you struggle in other areas of life, Morten’s completion of the Ironman should send a message to each of us. “Believe in the process! If you work hard and dare to push the limits, you will get there.” Morten planned his success by having a Plan A, a Plan B and even a Plan Z.
Part of his planning included having a mental game plan for success. He, of course, had some thoughts, “Will I able to finish? What if my hip starts to hurt? Can I reach my goal? What if something goes wrong? Do I have enough energy?” Those are all questions that many hippies have about their recoveries from hip injuries and surgeries.
The “what ifs” have got to stop! If Morten went through the “what ifs” he would have never thought that the Ironman was something he could achieve. He did think about planning for the unexpected. As he did this, he combined realism with optimism. He was a realistic optimistic!
And that got him to one of the best feelings in his life – one of achievement over adversity. “The feeling after [was] amazing!! All the hard work culminated into one fantastic day! Simply amazing! I am so happy, and I am completely overwhelmed from all the kind messages I have gotten. The support has been incredible and made all the training and the race so much easier.”
Many hippies and non-hippies from around the world were following Morten’s progress and celebrating his success. His success has translated into the language of hope for all that knew his story. So give Morten a virtual high five through his Instagram (morten_hipdysplasia_ironman). Tell him “thank you” for instilling hope for your hip recovery! Cheer him on for his new goal of a ½ Ironman next year. He is an Ironman and he is a man filled with grit, perseverance and hope. He competes for himself, but through that competition, he competes for all of us. Thank you, Morten!
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