This Sums it Up

"In an entire lifetime, there will not be many days like Sunday. Sunday is not the end, but the celebration of a journey, and a celebration of living life to its fullest. We will see plenty of family, friends, loved ones and thousands of strangers cheering us on. We are the lucky ones.
We get to experience this day, from our side of the white line. We get to find out what these wonderful machines we have been blessed with are really capable of. Most people never take advantage of an opportunity, to try to answer the question we are all curious about. What actually would happen, if we were brave enough to push the accelerator all the way to the floor? Everyone comes from the factory with numbers on the speedometer go that high, but should we dare? If we really tried, and pushed ourselves to the limit, what are we actually capable of? Some will make stupid comments like “I wouldn’t do that if a bear was chasing me”. To that we say to ourselves, “Really? You would just stand there and let it eat you? Without even taking a step? Not me!” Sunday will be like every other day, in that we don’t really know how it will end, or where it will take us. We have hopes and dreams, but not knowledge of its conclusion. What we do have, is the courage to get in the water for the start. We do not and will not do this in a reckless manner. We’ve all methodically prepared for this day for a very long time, and it’s been a long journey. It’s been hard on our bodies, our schedules, our families, and we lost a dear friend along the way. To have the gift of ability that we have, and not take full advantage of it, at least for one day, is to be disrespectful to the gift. Let’s enjoy our celebration of the gift."