Dear friends, Have you ever heard of an Ironman race? A 3.8km swim, followed by a 180km bike ride and a 42.2km marathon run. All in just 10 hours!…and have you ever heard of someone training for an Ironman race on a tiny island in the Maldives? 2,5 km long, 0,5 km wide, without roads and traffic! I have committed to myself to make both happen. I am training for my first Ironman race and I am doing this on a tiny Maldivian island called Reethi Rah, where I live and work. There are no lap pools to swim; I swim with sharks and turtles in the Indian Ocean. There are no wide and well paved roads to cycle; I cycle on a stationary roll in front of a mirror. There are no measured tracks for running. I run on sandy paths under tropical palm trees. When people think of the Maldives, they imagine paradise. No one would ever dream of endurance racing. Indeed endurance races do not have a history at all in the country. But if we wait for the perfect conditions, we will never start. Even though I am the only triathlete in the entire country, I am sure I can achieve my goal. I know that my road to success is not marked by perfection, but by my ability to constantly overcome adversity and failure. My success is the sum of small efforts I make day in and day out. Many people give up their dreams due to slow progress, never grasping the fact that slow progress…is progress. I see progress on my little island. Many of my colleagues started to run and to live a healthy lifestyle. Just last month we have organized an island marathon as well as a triathlon race consisting of swim – kayak – run. We don’t aim for glory, but for a better future and we raise funds for local orphans and underprivileged children, who are not as lucky as we are. I would like to dedicate my first Ironman race to the children of the Maldives. By raising funds for a local orphanage, some of the poorest and weakest can be provided with a home and the necessary education to start a better future. To know that some of the children will be able to practice their own sports one day inspires me and motivates me to give it my very best during the race. I will keep on training every day to get to the magical moment of crossing the finish line at Challenge Roth on July 14th. I want to put action into my dreams and I want to inspire my colleagues and friends in the Maldives to do the same. Every expert was once a beginner and who knows, maybe one day there will be a Maldivian triathlon champion? Thank you for visiting my fund raising page and for supporting underprivileged and neglected children in the Maldives. Johannes Rabl Resort Manager One&Only Reethi Rah North Male' Atoll Republic of Maldives