Comments on: Ray Zahab – Canada’s Karnazes…and more?

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:30:42 +0000

Hi Brian, thanks for the kind words. If you have a Monumental Effort story to tell, please feel free to use the Submit Your Story tab at the top of the page. Also, suggestions are always welcome, both for story ideas and site improvements.

Thanks again.
Bill

By: vince

vince — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:21:54 +0000

Thank you very much for your comment. If ME can inspire people, and specifically inspire the younger generation to be active, well, I guess we’ve done good! I checked your blog to and will certainly follow your adventures. I’ve started incorporating yoga into my training and I real enjoy it. I did the Disney Goofy Challenge last year and had a blast. From the pictures, I gather we had warmer weather than you did!

Keep making a differences!

Gotta run,
Vince

By: Brian Groot

Brian Groot — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:41:55 +0000

This is an awesome blog site. There is so much inspiration here. I feel grateful to have found a passion for running at such a young age and maybe have the chance to create am impact on the world for many years to come by reaching past my limits as Ray suggests, and inspiring others. Ultra running is still greatly unknown to most but the more we talk about it and get the names of Ray and Monica Schultz and everyone else defying what’s humanly possible, the more people will be inspired like me to try and make a difference too.

By: vince

vince — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:45:05 +0000

You’re too generous with your compliments Pierre! Monica and Ray are great, VC, pretty much just average on a good day!
I hope your injuries get better and I see you out on the trails soon…perhaps even at the Spring Warm Up. You’re right though about the ultra running community. They’re a great bunch!

Gotta run,
Vince

By: Pierre Marcoux

Pierre Marcoux — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:58:48 +0000

Vince: A very entertaining and informative blog! Since Vulture Bait I have struggled with injuries… Reading about people like Ray, Monica and the great VC, make my halting painful runs seem like a breeze. I hope you all realize that one profound aspect of your monumental efforts is the inspiriation it lends to others. A distinct component of the ultra running comradery stems from the knowledge we have, of what it takes to toe the starting line in a longer race. Please keep it coming!

By: Ray Zahab

Ray Zahab — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:34:21 +0000

Thanks Bill, Thanks Vince ! I have bookmarked you guys !
Kelly- thank you for your thoughtful post. You are absolutely right- but i do believe we all face personal challenges in life- and to ourselves they at some points can seem so difficult. A little over 10 years ago when i was not living the healthiest of lives – i was a deeply unhappy person. I am embarrassed to say that at that point i felt sorry for myself. In retrospect this journey over the past 6 plus years of running has taught me that there is always someone who has it worse off in life- for various real reasons, and that those feelings of feeling sorry for myself were not warranted. I am doing the very best i can to use what i do to reach young people and instill in them both an appreciation for some very real issues people face- and a belief that they can truly make a difference- and that they have so much potential their lives ! Thanks All ! I will follow your blog !!

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:28:00 +0000

Hi Kelly, thanks for reading and responding. Sure Ray's catch phrase is, well, catchy. But to state that Ray's quote is "...likely written by someone who has not faced life’s truest challenges...." isn't really fair. We all have our own mountains to climb, both metaphorically and literally. Some people choose to push their limits, while others are forced too by acts of nature or circumstance. For example, I find inspiration in the stories of friends who have survived cancer, just as I do in the stories of those who choose to run 100 miles and succeed. Or both, as in the case of someone like Lance Armstrong. I'm hoping that as Monumental Effort grows, we'll get story submissions that demonstrate the diverse examples of Monumental Efforts that are out there. Vince and I are limited in our ability to find them all. I invite you, should you have any examples of what you might consider Monumental Efforts in the face of "life's truest challenges" to submit them via our Story Submission page found here: Submit Your Story. Bill

By: vince

vince — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:43:40 +0000

Thanks for the comment Kelly. Of course this phrase must be taken in context. We will all face “limitations” at some point in our lives, but I think Ray’s message here is that we are really capable of surpassing what might otherwise seem impossible to us; that the human body and spirit are more resilient than we think and having a positive outlook is a powerful thing.

Personnaly, I believe that I will be able to be active for as long as I chose to be. I will certainly slow down, but I plan on being one of these guys you see, in there 70′s and 80′s, still plugging along. I guess that’s what M.E. is trying to convey. Do more than live!

Gotta run,
Vince

By: Kelly

Kelly — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:21:29 +0000

“Any limitations that we have are ones that we set upon ourselves”

A catchy phrase, but likely written by someone who has not faced life’s truest challenges (which are not about getting sand in your runners; chaffing, or finding the gumption to walk that last 5 km of an ultra when your’re really tired). Life does throw real limitations at you whether physical, mental, or situational. Enjoy your running while you have it and don’t take it for granted. It will be limited one day in a manner beyond your ability to change.

By: Dean @ Quitbit

Dean @ Quitbit — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:22:58 +0000

Great post Vince. I would think your suggestions could be applied to anyone wanting to make a difference in any area. Win at what you are doing, do something new and creative that others aren’t doing, write a book, and GIVE. Thanks for the motivation.