Man on a Mission – Phipps to XTERRA

The question was simple. “Can I train for an XTERRA in eight weeks?”

The man behind the question, and the race in question, was not so simple.

Aussie exercise and sports science guru Glenn Phipps isn’t your typical 40-something looking to get off the couch and try to get fit and the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championship race in New South Wales, Australia isn’t your typical race.

To the contrary, Phipps has spent his life on the other end of the spectrum, actually helping others achieve their personal bests, and XTERRA just so happens to be the world’s gnarliest off-road triathlon.

Now ordinarily a 1.5K swim, 30K mountain bike, and 10K trail run wouldn’t be anything to worry about for Phipps, but the injuries he has sustained through a career of fighting have reached critical mass and chronic illness forced a kidney transplant.

“I’m holding onto a huge amount of old injuries,” wrote Phipps. “It turns out that when people are trying to hurt you, they often do. And when you are trying to avoid being hurt, then you can often do a pretty good job on yourself. I’ve been at the receiving end of both. Not to mention that my entire body through surgeries and injuries resembles that of an EH Holden reno job (which was a good car in its day), then there’s plenty to be considered about training for an XTERRA in eight weeks.”

Add to that the great unknown of a new sport and the psychological battle to rally motivation out of a body that just wants to lay down and rest and you’ve got a compelling story that a lot of people out there can identify with in one way or another. It’s about a man on a mission to get going, get strong, get ready, and “Live More.”

The Search 4 Hurt television series broadcast on ESPN wants to see if Phipps can do it, and are documenting his efforts for a future special presentation. You can follow Phipps on his journey, and even share his training efforts if you like, by logging in to glennphipps.com.

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