Lessons from the Super Triathlon

Lessons from the Super Triathlon

February 12, 2014

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In 2013, James Ketchell took the CIW stage to tell us about rowing solo across the Atlantic and reaching Mount Everest’s peak. Last week, he got back from stage 3 of his Super Triathlon: an unsupported bike ride around the world. He was generous enough to share some lessons from his amazing adventure with us, and what—and where—he learned may surprise you.

Well, it’s been just over a week since I completed my 18,000-mile unsupported world cycle. I’m still trying to find my feet and get back into the swing of things at home. Seven years ago, I took a terrifying motorcycle accident as impetus for attempting this journey. It feels amazing to have now completed everything I set out to do.

I am now the first and only person to have rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, summited Everest and cycled around the world—an athletic tour now being labelled a “super triathlon.” For me personally, I’m just pleased I completed it and managed to make it home in one piece. I’m also very conscious that there are other people out there who are on equally amazing adventures and explorations.

The main thing I’ve learned as I’ve rowed, climbed and cycled my way around the world is that human beings really are amazing. Wherever you go, there will always be someone around that will be there to support you in some way, shape or form, and you won’t even realize it until you need his or her help.

In El Paso, Texas, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. in absolute agony. I had cracked my tooth about a month earlier, and while it hadn’t been bothering me up until now, I knew straight away that the only thing I could do was try to get it sorted—immediately. At this point, I barely bat an eye when told it would cost me over $600; I would have paid almost anything to get it fixed.

Ketchell at the dentist’s office in El Paso, Texas.

I arrived at the surgery, in my cycling gear, and sat in a waiting room that resembled a sports bar more than a dentist’s office, with sports memorabilia lining the walls. The dental hygienist was surprised to find me wearing cycling gear and was even more shocked when I explained that I was completing a world tour via bike. The dentist—a massive bodybuilder with arms the size of my thighs—was equally surprised. When it turned out I would have to see a specialist for my tooth, the dentist waved away my attempts to pay him for his time. “I would never take money from you,” he said generously. “What you’re doing is amazing, and it has inspired me.”

Ketchell visiting the second dentist in El Paso.

The second dentist’s visit was similar to the first, although this time the office lacked the sports bar atmosphere. After a 45-minute procedure, this dentist also told me, “What you’re doing and have done is simply amazing. I will not charge you for my time today. Enjoy the rest of your trip and Godspeed.” I couldn’t believe the generosity bestowed on me that day. I mumbled my thanks and shook his hand, with a half-numb face and a lopsided smile.

What really stuck in my mind was just how much these people had helped me that day, and how it had gone from an awful morning to being one of the best days of the entire 18,000-mile cycle. When you feel like things are veering off-course and you’re just not sure what’s going to happen, chances are that someone will come into your life in some way, and everything will work out fine. I also learned one other lesson that day: As I joked with the first dentist, it’s easy to get free healthcare treatment in the U.S.—just cycle around the world, and you won’t ever see a bill.

If you want to learn more about what motivated James Ketchell to go around the world in 214 days, you can watch his inspiring CIW Talk here: