CONQUERING OUR VERY OWN MOUNT. EVEREST- HOW ADULTS PUSH THROUGH THEIR FEARS

 

 

Throughout human history, Man has accomplished amazing feats that demonstrate the beauty of human accomplishment and struggle, whether it be voyaging to the Mariana Trench or climbing Mount Everest. Yet in the midst of all these accomplishments, we humans have felt the need to prove that we are inextinguishable. Some psychologists refer to this as a mid-life crisis, generally occurring in your forties and fifties and resulting in a transition of identity, self-confidence, and belief in yourself.

Mr. Ken Stirrat, now in his late 40’s dealt with his own mid-life crisis, one where he challenged himself to complete the toughest marathon in the world.

 

Originally from North England, Stirrat has been a teacher at educational institutions in Geneva, Dubai and now Singapore. An avid runner, he was part of his cross country club in Oxford and participated in several races. During his tenure as a math teacher, he thought about how he could push himself physically and emotionally to achieve the impossible. He wanted to prove that he still had the strength and stamina of his youth and that he could achieve something that would resolve his mid-life crisis. While in the Middle East, Mr. Stirrat heard of The Marathon Des Sables.

 

What is the Marathon Des Sables?

The race, sometimes considered the toughest foot race in the world, was started in 1986 by Frenchman Patrick Bauer who in 1984 traversed 350 km (214 mi) in 12 days without coming across an oasis or desert communities. Now the race is a six-day, 251 km (156 mi) ultramarathon, equal to the length of six regular marathons. The race has grown from an initial number of twenty-three participants to now over a thousand. As it is in the desert most people figure it is a race through never-ending sand, but in fact, it happens to be in a part of the world with unique terrain and the foothills of the Atlas mountains

 

Ken Stirrat had to pack all his food, clothes and bedding in his rucksack to cover for 7 days. Running in dry weather with temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius, it is extremely important that you are hydrated and consume calorie-packed foods to maintain energy. Through the first two days, Stirrat felt very comfortable, but all that changed on day 3. On day 3, Stirrat skipped breakfast and was feeling very nauseous. One of his friends had to help him go 10 km to reach the medical tent. While there he witnessed people who had much worse conditions than him and felt guilty that he was there. Nevertheless, he was up and about in no time and was able to finish the marathon.

Every couple of years Stirrat has done something challenging to stay in shape, he commented saying that he did the race out of ‘personal ambition’ and wanted to prove he still had “it” in him. Stirrat has also said that though this was a physically challenging event he felt that what was most important was how he realized what his mind can do. To quote him, “it’s all in the mind, the power of the mind”. It most certainly was his mind that he used to get over his mid-life crisis.

 

According to the New York Times (source) during the middle of your life, it is possible to experience all types of stressors, whether that be divorce, the death of a parent or career setbacks. The story above is one that sheds a positive light on a man who overcame his fears through positive effort and determination. A mid-life crisis doesn’t only have to be a great accomplishment, it could also mean you decide to change your job because you feel you aren’t getting sufficient time at home. Referring to reports presented by accounting-degree.org it can be observed that most adults have their mid-life crises in their earlier forties, with men experiencing them for 3-10 years, on the other hand, women experience it for 2-5 years on average. Adding on, a mid-life crisis definetly seems to be an expensive time in your life as adults are more likely to purchase luxurious items or travel to exotic places which can reach figures over 15,000 USD. Based of statistics gathered by researchgate we can find that around 25% of men and women in their early 50’s experienced mid-life crises, using a population pyramid and calculations we arrive at the figure of 136,000,000 people between ages of 49 and 53 who experience a mid-life crisis.

While Mr. Stirrat’s story is certainly one of hope and determination it does not reflect the same for all people coping with their mid-life crisis. It is important that we consistently hold ourselves up high, treat others with respect and empathy and most importantly being realistic with your choices.

“The power of the mind” – Ken Stirrat