Ironman is a team sport

Vitafakta Health Clinic is proudly sponsoring our local Ironman Mads Bang Jensen. We are cheering Mads at the Ironman World Championship, Hawaii 6 October 2016.

When I started my journey into the world of the triathlon about 6-7 years ago, I never imagined that I would get so far.

At the beginning I did not pay much attention to the bigger picture, focusing only on myself. I often heard various “pros” talking about how they had whole teams to help them achieve their goals. They often spoke about how they could never live the dream without this support.

At that time I thought that statements like these were a little far-fetched. To me it seemed like a form of PR stunt, as did their achievements seemed less selfish.

As time has gone on, I have got a completely different understanding of what it means to have a whole team around the athlete. The number of people, in one way or another that have been involved in my journey, especially during the last year and a half has grown enormously.

I have my immediate team, which consists of my family. I have had my family with me for all my major competitions, who have been ready to support me before and after each event. Thye were there for me also in everyday life when my energy was low, when cooking dinner was an uoverskueligt progket and when finance was rreally low. Later Tine joined.

She supported me in a way that I never expected. Sometimes she is looking forward to the competitions with more joy, than I do. She is there every day and is as much a part of my dream, as I am, which also means that I am no longer the only captain on my trip, because we are both in charge. When the training sessions are numerous and hard, then my energy disappears. This means that even the smallest tasks can become incalculable. Again enter my second mate is the one who helps me to keep track of my life.

Besides my closest family there will also be a number of people who come from outside and choose to support me on my journey. These are people who are generally not emotionally involved, but still choose to believe in the dream and help me on my way.

Approximately two months ago, I contacted Dr. Pernille Knudtzon at VitaFakta health clinic. For the past year I have been focusing on optimizing my diet and supplements. When I discovered the Vitafakta Health clinic and read about their approach to health I thought immediately that we would be a good match. The reception I got was almost overwhelming!

One of the first things Pernille said to me was that they would go all-in to support me. They would do with everything from providing thermal imaging scans and blood tests to supporting my body with LifeWave products. Thermographer, Nick Hvidt Nielsen carried out my scan and helped me with the patches and the nutritional beverages from LifeWave.

During my many visits to the VitaFakta clinic I have been in contact with several others who can see my potential and want to help me on the way. Via the clinic I also met met Eugen and Rikke, both practitioners in Centro Sanum. Eugen is a chiropractor and Rikke a physiotherapist, so both had skills that could help me and my tired body.

When the going gets tough!

It is often in a crisis situation that you find out who your true friends are. Almost a month ago I had a really nasty crash on my bike. Just one unguarded moment, and a bump in the road, meant that I ended up doing a somersault into the ditch. I hit my chest on the right side severely and could hardly breathe. I had to free-wheel to the nearest train station and take the train home to Fuengirola.

I was somewhat bruised and quite nervous about whether there could have been major damage. So I called Pernille. Despite the fact that she was going away for the weekend and had to travel early the following day, she still came to meet me at the clinic, where she examined me.

She reassured me that nothing was broken or torn, but I was still sore. I contacted Eugen and Rikke. Immediately they were ready to help me shorten my recovery time, so I could get back to full training again.

I am so grateful for the support I receive from my closest family, but especially from the Vitafakta Health clinic and Eugen and Rikke in Centro Sanum. They never needed to help me, but they have all made an extra effort for me to achieve my optimum best on the 8th October for the World Ironman in Hawaii.