Categorized | Multi-sport, Sports

KONACan: Dobson races against cancer

(Photo courtesy of Glenn Dobson)

By Glenn Dobson | KONACan

It is recognized as the toughest one day race in the world, and called the Ironman for good reason. – 3.8 kms swim, followed immediately by a 180 kms bike race, then a 42 kms marathon run.

No place for the faint hearted.

Having completed 20 Ironman races over the last 13 years qualifying for the World Championship in Kona has always eluded me.

While everyone says, because of the 42+ degree heat, and gale force winds coming in off the ocean, it will be tough, enduring and truly harsh, that has never ever deterred me from trying to join this exclusive group of athletes who call themselves a Hawaii Ironman

When I first decided to take this on at the age of 41, I was scared and thought the goal unattainable. But it was a dream I didn’t want to let go of so decided to leave a well paying job, start my own company the KONA Group, specialising in sales training and management development, and willed all these new goals in my life to succeed.

Making this new business prosper and attaining a slot in the Ironman World Championship have so many things in common.

The KONA Group needs 100 percent focus, a lot of preparation, determination, utmost discipline, and many of the same attributes it takes to be able to qualify for the Ironman challenge.

My visions for the race and business, while truly daunting, eventually became more achievable as time went on. Years and years of dreaming it, preparing for it, racing and training eventually paid off and on October of this year, I will be competing in the race of my life. My perseverance and commitment to excellence has finally paid off.

Training for the race has also taught me that no dream is unattainable if you set your mind to it and the same goes in building a business of your own.

KONA Group is not just about knowing how to build relationships, or when and where to negotiate a sale but it also teaches people to have the right outlook, self belief and ability that can get you the outcome you aspire to.

Both the business and the Ironman challenge hold a personal meaning for me. The Ironman helps me remember the fight my mother put up but lost against cancer, and the business lets me help all the other people out there who still continue the battle against that awful disease.

To set a goal as large as this a well planned strategy should be made, skills developed to help increase your personal effectiveness (in sales and in sport) and more importantly, the hard work needs to be done to put the strategy into action.

The Hawaii Ironman World Championship may have taken me 13 years however along the way I have learned so many things that have strengthened me.
The things I have learned I am now sharing in my conference and motivational speaking engagements, not to awe people but to inspire them.

Dreams do come true but most don’t happen overnight.

Stay focused on your own goals and you WILL eventually get there.

— Find out more:
www.konacan.org/

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.