Launch Your Encore by Hans Finzel & Rick Hicks

Author:Hans Finzel & Rick Hicks [Finzel, Hans and Rick Hicks]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SEL005000, REL012070, OCC019000
ISBN: 9781441222411
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2015-01-27T16:00:00+00:00

A real-life account of someone who reinvented himself is that of famous runner Jim Ryun. Jim had a storied track career with a number of unbelievable accomplishments. He was the first high school student to break the four-minute mile. He had world records in the 880-yard run and the 1500-meter run, two world records in the mile, and another world record in the indoor mile. In 1966 and 1967 he was the track and field athlete of the year, and in 1966, the Sports Illustrated “Sportsman of the Year.” Also in 1966 he was ABC’s Wide World of Sports “Athlete of the Year,” along with many, many more accomplishments, including competing in three different Olympics.

With all of Jim’s success, perhaps his most defining moment was a time of defeat. In 1972, Jim was running a qualifying heat in the Munich Olympics. He was tripped and fell, and later it was acknowledged that he was fouled. But, contrary to Olympic policy, he was not allowed to continue in the competition. He was the leading 1500-meter runner in the world at that time and was assured of a win—but missed out.

Many saw this as a failure on Jim’s part, but what Jim learned through that perceived failure enhanced the rest of his life and helped him in the process of reinventing himself. Years later I, Rick, had the opportunity to spend some time with Jim, and I asked him about what he had learned in Munich. He told me that all of his life he had been a runner—first in all of his athletic endeavors. Quite frankly, not many could relate to him as a person due to his previous overwhelming success. When his failure to win gold in Munich occurred, people began to look at Jim differently. After that, Jim told me, people would walk up to him and begin to express their sorrow to him, saying, “The same thing that happened to you in Munich happened to me. I was fouled out in life at my job,” or “My wife left me and it shouldn’t have happened that way.” People who felt they had also been treated unfairly in life began to relate to Jim in a completely different way. People could relate to Jim’s failure much more than his success. It made him more accessible to people—more relatable.

After Jim’s athletic career was over, he went on to become a member of the US House of Representatives for the state of Kansas. I can’t help but think that Jim’s perceived failure in obtaining the gold medal in Munich may have helped him reinvent himself into being a servant of the people.

Life is not always fair. Many times we face setbacks that throw us for a loop as we face great disappointment. For Gandalf, it was being taken down by Balrog and cast into the dark pit of Mount Moria. No one thought that would ever happen, but it did. For Jim Ryun, it was being unfairly fouled out of the 1500-meter race in the Olympics.

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