Victor Chen Ministries

This is my third year in a row at Ironman New Zealand.  In 2023, I registered for the full Ironman race. I had swam in races held in lakes before particularly the Putrajaya Lake multiple times. In 2023 we arrived in Taupo on March 1^st.  March 2^nd was the very first time I tried swimming in a cold lake. I could barely swim 300 meters in that freezing water.  March 3^rd morning I managed to swim about 800 meters. March 4^th was race day and the swim distance was 3.8km and from the top we can see the entire course. It was daunting.

The coldness of the water and plus the water was heavy and less buoyant compared to sea water. Swimming is my weakest discipline in triathlon, with cycling being my strongest.

First year

On the eve of the Ironman race, I was fearful of the lake swim. I couldn’t sleep. I was calling friends, family, my coach and my pastor to allay my fears. To me my fears were very real. I was contemplating not even starting the race.  I was in panic mode. My coach said just take one stroke at a time and I will be fine as I have done the training. Pastor Charles said that I can do it. 

By faith I dragged myself to the starting line and swam the 3.8km cold swim in 1 hour 49 mins (my slowest Ironman swim) and made the 2 hour 20 cut off.  I kept chanting in my head that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  

Fear paralyses us. It stops us from reaching our goals and destiny. Fear magnifies the size of our obstacles. As fear gets a firm grip on us, we become its victim. Fear has a way of overtaking us and making such an impact on our lives that we feel there’s nothing we can do anything about it. But God says I did not give you a spirit of fear, but of  power, love and self-control” (2 Timothy 2:17).  God says fear not for I am with you (Isaiah 41:10).

Often the obstacle causing the fear is magnified by our minds. It is how much you allow your mind to limit or amplify the cause of fear.  And often than not, our feeling paralyzed is not a result of any real, tangible danger but of our internal fears causing us mental and emotional pain and distress.

Second year

2024 we went back to Taupo. I signed up for the half Ironman. Feb 29 and March 1^st we tested the waters again. The water was very calm. Come race day on March 2^nd the water current were about 1 meter tall. It struck fear into all of us. The water was anything but calm.  I told myself I can do it as God is with me. I got through the 1.9km swim in 57 minutes and drank more water during the swim than I did on the bike. Some athletes didn’t even make it to the first turning buoy and were fished out by boats out of the water.  The water was really rough. 

Third year

I signed up for the half Ironman again. This year I had problems with my bike so the last minute I packed my spare bike. On the test swim on Feb 27 my goggles was leaking so I didn’t even swim 20 meters. Plus my wetsuit had tears and holes. So in the afternoon I went to the expo and bought new goggles and wetsuit. Feb 28 I tried the new goggles and swam 1km.  On race day March 1^st I got through the swim in 54 minutes. I have conquered my fear of swimming Lake Taupo. Whatever the conditions I know I can managed a swim here.

What I learnt

What I have learnt is that things in life never unfold the way you expect. There are often  unexpected twist and turns. We live in a world where things go wrong. The key is to stay calm and don’t panic. I now have learnt to not fear the unexpected as God has gone ahead of me to prepare the way – be it in a race, life or business.  

Fear paralyzes, but faith mobilizes. Fear loses its power when we actively trust God more than what we fear.

# posted by Eleventh Hour @ 5:29 PM