During assembly on Tuesday, I spoke about how Eliud Kipchoge had set a new world record by running a marathon in less than 2 hours. This story enabled me to illustrate the theme of the week, No Limits, and that with talent, a good team, hard work and good planning we can achieve most things. We need to believe, have confidence and recognise that if we fail, it is not the end of the world. We just need to adjust our goals or strategy slightly and try again.
In response to Kipchoge’s record run, Chris Froome, four times Tour De France winner, said that he doesn’t think of limits. “I believe that limits shouldn’t be set in sport as I believe this would change the mentality for a lot of sportsmen and women, a lot of coaches and certainly the way people perceive sport.”
Sir Ben Ainslie, greatest Olympic sailor and America’s Cup winner adds, “To achieve your extraordinary requires grit, determination and an open mind. It is amazing what can be accomplished when you do not set limits.”
It is in our nature as humans to push boundaries, continue to learn and develop and achieve more. It is also in our nature to worry and put limits on ourselves and others.
Eliud Kipchoge hopes that his amazing achievement will inspire others. “No human is limited. If you have that belief – pure belief in your heart – that you want to be successful, then you can talk to your mind and your mind will control you to be successful.”
