If while browsing the news recently you have come across some pictures of a man running across treacherous terrains around the globe, then you have stumbled upon 46-year-old Steve Pontifex from Australia. This dedicated individual is currently taking part in the 4 Deserts Challenge: a race that takes athletes to the Atacama, Gobi, Sahara and the Antarctica deserts. Steve is running to raise funds for Operation Smile UAE; a non-profit organisation that provides surgery to children born with cleft palates or lips. The expat shared with us his thoughts and goals for the upcoming challenges.
This is quite a feat you are undertaking, have you always been an athlete?
I have always been involved in sports. The type of sport I play changed in 1994 when I broke my neck playing rugby. It was then that I switched to triathlons and then the ultimate triathlon: the Ironman event, which consists of 3.9km swimming, 180km biking and 42km running. Triathlons gave me a way to play sports without the contact that would threaten my neck. I have always disliked running and I thought taking up this new challenge would no doubt force me to do some running!
Is there a particular reason why you have chosen to raise funds for Operation Smile?
Operation Smile do a great job around the world providing surgeries for children and, having a two-year-old daughter of my own, I thought what better gift to give a child than a perfect smile. It is a life changing event not only for the child involved, who now can live a normal life without fear of being seen as different, but also for the family. Imagine that feeling when the family looks down on their smiling child for the first time after the surgery! It was also a clear target, knowing that every Dhs880 I raised would be enough to enable a child to have the surgery.
Is there any part of the upcoming challenges that has you worried?
Firstly I should tell you that I really dislike running. So running 1,000km in total worries me, but I have a very supportive wife and child who believe in me and this enables me to believe in myself that I can get this challenge done. Each course will provide its own challenge. Having just completed the first of four challenges I know now that being mentally and physically prepared is the most important part. The next challenge of the Sahara in February 2014 will be the relentless heat and sand; you need to keep focused on the end goal otherwise the little distractions soon develop into insurmountable problems.
Who is your personal hero?
My personal hero is not some famous person who is great at a particular sport, but rather that average person that goes out and gives 100 percent and never gives up. They are the true champions, the ones that have a job, a family and other commitments but still go out there and train and compete to the best of their ability. They may never get a medal or trophy but for them the satisfaction of finishing is enough.
What keeps you going mentally when your body starts breaking down and you want to give up?
There are a couple of things. Firstly my wife and daughter. I carried a picture of my daughter all the way on the first event and every time I was feeling low I would take it out and look into her eyes and a wave of fresh energy would fill my body. On the back of the photo was a message from my wife which was also uplifting, Also on the back was taped a before and after picture of a child who had undergone an Operation Smile surgery so I knew that if I stopped that these children might miss out, knowing that my pain would pass sooner or later but the difference I make to these children will last a lifetime.
Can you tell us a bit about the training you did to prepare for these challenges?
Training comprised of running, then some more running, then even more running! I would fill up a back pack with a 5kg bag of rice, 3kg of water and some food and head off running from where we live into the
desert for hours at a time, which was a great way to get me used to the daily running during the challenge. I am going to introduce some weights training for the next races to gain some more strength. The mental training I did was to learn as much as I could about the event so I would know what to expect. Also I learned how to look after my feet and body so that I knew what to do if things did go wrong.
What message do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
I think that anybody can do something and they should try. Start out small and work your way to the bigger goals, that way you get little successes on the way that spur you on to achieve bigger things.
If you would like to donate for this cause go to www.support.operationsmile.org. To learn more about Operation Smile, visit www.operationsmile.org. To learn more about the 4 Deserts Challenge visit www.4deserts.com.
