These are a handful of 'life intersections' that Inspired me on my Endurance journey.
They are a mix of people & moments.
Some came soft and gentle, some were simply an unwelcome slap in the face.
These are some of "my intersections", yet the more important questions are, have you recognized yours? and what choices did you make?

Taichung Hash House Harriers

TH3 is my mother hash. Hashers are also known as 'drinkers with a running problem'.
These bunch of misfits, that have a shared love for nature, trail running, adventure, not taking life too serious, all while enjoying some drinks, was were trail running started for me.
Despite of a wide range of fitness levels and physical abilities, many these folks influenced and convinced me to join races.

Thomas - Inspiration reincarnated in the flesh

Thomas has inspired me since day one. I met him during my first hash. Despite of having a shot knee, I have spend years trying to chase Thomas on trails. He has the experience of the tortoise (from tortoise and the hare), while having being driven by a stable diesel engine and an unparalleled tolerance for pain.
Only in recent years I've been able to surpass Thomas on speed, yet still have a lot to learn when it comes to mental strength. On this specific picture, which was during the toughest race I've done to date, I was lucky that Thomas ran me during the last 7km of the race.

Hans - my bromance

I often call out Hans to be the reason why I started triathlon. Simply because, he is just that. Hans, as a colleague and close friend, was in my office every few days trying to convince me to join a triathlon. My bag of excuses was large, yet Hans didn't give up and wore me down.
The day I caved he used the argument, Mitch, I'm 11 years older than you so if I can do it, then so can you. Hans was right, in stead of wasting energy on trying to find excuses why I couldn't, I merely had to open myself up the idea's of how I could do it.
I fell in love with triathlon the moment I crossed the finish line of my first olympic distance race, despite of cramps and having to walk parts of the run. Thank you Hansie.

Peter - The most badass endurance athlete I know

Peter, who I gotten to know shortly before he turned 50, has a 30+ year career of endurance sports and racing. Peter could not be more low key, even if he wanted it. Not having the build of a traditional endurance athlete, his repertoire of all his feats keep inspiring me. What Peter has achieved, to date, I can only dream of... that said, I am excited for what's to come.
Peter is as much a friend, as he is a source of inspiration, and throws out these challenges which directly feed into one of my life guiding principles 
“Set a goal so big that you can’t achieve, until you grow into the person who can"

​(I am making the latter comments early 2019 for your reference, so stay tuned for more...)

Ben - The left fielder

How many people do you know that have completed close to 40 marathons and ultra's? How many of those have raced the North Pole Marathon?
If you see Ben, you wouldn't be able to tell that he is equipped with an engine that seems to be able to run forever at some very hard paces. He's equipped with a dry sense of humor and self mockery that can even make a Brit blush.
Ben is just Ben. He is one of those athletes where age is just a number... and he motors on.

From Excuses to Action

As many others, I had 100's of excuses lined up why I couldn't do a full distance Ironman. This very day, I finished a half Ironman myself and was cheering on some friends that were competing at the full distance.

This picture was taken where athletes started their last 2km to the finish line.
This picture was in reality taken after a so called 'slap in the face'. Take a careful look!

​I remember thinking, "I can't think of any excuse that is good enough not to be able to do a full Ironman".
Since that moment, this is the screensaver on my phone & the very next day I registered for Ironman Taiwan. All that was left was figuring out how.

Phil - See you "In Time..."

The loss of Phil, the youngest in our family of 5, came both unexpected and hard. Still to date, this is the hardest thing I've encountered in my 'young' life.
Phil passed away in a car accident, leaving many dreams and goals unexplored on the table. Phil was passionate, driven, motivated, kind and always ready to help others. He was the better version of all of us.

Phil's passing gave birth to a drive to live life with intent, unlike anything I've ever felt. He inspires me to become better in every possible way. While failing on many occasions, I strive to learn and evolve and follow Phil's guidance.

Phil gave me the kick in the ass to take my endurance career from 'completing to competing' and still is my main mentor in moments of suffering.

​Thank you Phil, and see you "In Time...".

Prince Ea - Everybody dies, yet not everybody lived

The Video will speak for itself.

Now ask yourself: "what's your brand new ending?"

Matthew Mcconaughey's oscar speech

Matthew talks about the 3 things he needs each day. 

... Something to look up to
... Another to look forward to
... And another is someone to chase

Erich Manser and Dan Streetman

Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. ...Period!   ---   “Will Smith”

Once more I felt blessed to be inspired by such amazing greatness from a blind person running while being led by the voice of his friend.

What is holding you back to obtain your dreams?

This was my sight upon finishing one of my last training sessions mere days before competing at the 2018 Ironman WCS's, after which I felt compeled to make a social media post.

The day after making a social media post, the word is small, I got contacted by Dan, who was the guide, explaining me more about Erich's, the visually impaired person's, story.
Here are Erich's 4 key points of advice as the Ironman Visually Impaired world record holder.
Feel free to follow these 2 inspirational people on social media to continue to track their inspirational journey through life and endurance sports.