Witness 254; Of Sports and Life - 'No Man is Limited'

If there was ever an analogy of life, that would be sports. Let me tell you a story. It's November 2016 and I am visiting with my best friend. I am at his house and we are seated in the lounge. Our eyes are glued to the screen.

On the screen is Eliud Kipchoge. We also have a couple of elite Ethiopian runners, including Zersenay Tadese. On this cold morning, in Italy, Eliud is attempting to do what no man has done before him; breaking the 2-hour barrier in a marathon.

Kipchoge is a Kenyan great. He is the defending Olympic champion. He just won the marathon at Rio.  Zersenay is the half marathon record holder. Between the two of them, they will test their limits and with it, human endurance.

Cometh the moment, cometh the men. Off the blocks they went. The conditions are perfect, but the pace is fast and gruelling. Our eyes are glued to the screen. We are rooting for our man. Just before the half mark, Tadese falls off the pace.

Kipchoge is on pace, through the 25-kilometre mark at 1:11:03. Will he make it? His stride is strong and he has resolve in his eyes. At the 30-kilometre mark, he is only a second off pace. Will he make it? We wonder.

Although he came so close, Eliud didn't make it that day. He fell 25 seconds short. We were proud of him. Looking at him though at the end, you got a sense of disappointment. Yet, one can argue, there shouldn't have been any at all. After all, he had attempted the impossible.

Three years later, he would take part in the Ineos 1:59 challenge, another attempt to break the two-hour mark. This second attempt was successful. Kipchoge finished in 1:59:40. He had done what no man had done before him, and since.  

This is why we love sports. This is why we love life. This is why we cheer on. It's as much about the near wins as it is about the wins and the losses. It's about cheering for those that attempt the impossible. We cheer on when we succeed and even when we fall short. 

C'est la vie! Such is life!