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Chrissie Wellington: a legend has been born
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When an event has been around for 31 years. In all likelihood, one would think it’s commonplace to know about it, to read about, to wake up and read online or read a blog stating the events that took place in that event. However, the IRONMAN in the scope of the sports world is still in it’s teenage years. This can be said, for a singular achievement took place this past Saturday that in the history of sport; not just Triathlon but sport itself will eventually be looked back at as one of the greatest individual achievements ever.
To better understand, what Chrissie Wellington achieved. The following names will be listed, all of them have an immediate association with sports greatness(Pete Rose is going to be one of them, for his achievements on the field are without reproach. His actions off; well.) Rose, Ripken, Carl Lewis, Phelps, Spitz, Mary Lou, Edwin Moses, MJ, Magic, Jack, Tiger, Nolan Ryan, Earnhardt, AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti. This list is nearly endless. When reading these names, one immediately invokes an image, an event, a place and time. Speed, distance, records, breath taking moments that left even the non-fan a fan if even for a brief moment in time.
Chrissie Wellington accomplished something in the world of Triathlon in the Holy Grail of all Races, that when the sport of Triathlon evolves from it’s “teen age years,” into a “young but mature adult,” in 2011 because of another singular name-Lance. Her record-breaking race and all that were left in her wake in the arguably the greatest women’s field in the history of the IRONMAN world championships, will be looked back upon as the moment phenom became legend. Simply put, you don’t beat your competition, on the elite level that these athletes perform at by nearly 20 minutes. It’s the same as Earnhardt lapping the field at Dayton, Tiger shooting 58 at Augusta and MJ scoring 100 on the Pistons in 1989. It simply doesn’t happen. .jpg)
Yet Chrissie Wellington did just that. There may be only one name in the history of sport that has ever had a singular event that simply left people walking away knowing that greatness was just viewed. Not just a great event or a great athlete; but greatness; Secretariat. What Chrissie Wellington achieved was the closest thing since maybe the greatest individual athlete of all time did when he won the 1973 Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths. When Secretariat died and an autopsy was performed, they discovered he had a heart that was 2 times the size of any normal heart found previously in a race horse. He was racing with a V-10, while everyone else had a V-8. This and he simply knew he was that much better. Chrissie is a kind, gentle soul who is smiling constantly, laughing and embracing life on a minute by minute basis. She’s also a stone-cold killer who knows she has a V-10 and is just that much better.
She has won 3 straight IRONMAN World Championships. More to the point, she has redefined the sport as only a very select few every do in their given endeavors and when history looks back upon these achievements. People will one day go MJ, Tiger and Chrissie.
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