I have just recently had another great opportunity to put these words into action and I was once

again reminded of the importance of being able to show grit in both our professional and personal lives.

As part of a tough training programme, our adventure racing team, Team GRIT Nyamezela, took part in a non-stop 280km multi-disciplined race called the LED Lenser Wartrail Challenge. The race would begin at the exquisite hamlet of  Lady  Grey  on  the  western  side  of  the Drakensberg. First up would be a 58km sky run over a high range of mountains to Balloch, followed by a 150km mountain bike ride back to Lady Grey and then a 70km paddle down the Orange River to Aliwal North. When we started the race at midnight on 19 March, we had no idea what Mother Nature was about to unleash on us and how much we would live out our team’s name, “GRIT Nyamezela”.

The weather prediction for that leg was for “some” rain. We got that and a whole lot more. Climbing out of Lady Grey in the dark of night with the tiny settlement’s lights twinkling below made us feel quite jubilated (well more or less) about the next 275kms.

By 4 am, the weather turned dramatically and quickly. Our team was now up at an altitude of 2700m. The visibility in the blackness of night with  40-50km/h  winds,  hail  and  rain  was extremely poor, our headlamps only just making 

out where we could place our feet, but no further. Then there is the lightning. If you have ever been close to lightning, you will understand the ferocity of it and the all-powerful, overwhelming boom of the strikes. It’s terrifying. We had abso-lutely no cover and nowhere to hide to get out of the freezing rain and hail. We were at the mercy of Mother Nature’s full raging fury. Stopping to eat or urinate was not an option because of hyperthermia. We simply urinated in our kit as we went. It was the right thing to do.

About  22km  into  the  run,  when  things seemed to become extremely life-threatening, we had a very brief discussion about making our way off the mountain, however, we agreed that that would be far more dangerous. There were only two other teams on the mountain with no chance of any rescue, should things go wrong. The decision was to “keep going”, even though it was a bit like being in hell, to show grit and Nyamezela (the isiXhosa word for perseverance). It was a decision that kept us alive. Ten hours later, as we descended into Balloch and out of the clouds, we could see the destruction the storm had caused. We were all relieved that we had made it.

The Race Organiser, Adrian Saffy, had dra-matically shortened and changed the mountain bike ride and cancelled the rest of the race. Many roads had been washed away and the Orange River was in flood.

The main lesson I gleaned from this experi-ence is that, once again, the ability to persevere 

when things are going pear-shaped is the most significant predictor of success.

I am all too aware that both my generation and those who have followed are, on the whole, lacking in a certain toughness that character-ised my parent’s generation. When we are tired, we stop; when we are bored, we immediately change plans; when we feel the first twinge of pain, we medicate. The endurance of any dis-comfort is not something to aspire to. Of course I’d say that, being the endurance adventurer, but it seems undeniable that when modern people are faced with adversity, they typically take the path of least resistance or simply give up. The idea of pushing through difficult times seems to have lost any of the appeal (or neces-sity) it may once have had.

I have learnt one very valuable lesson from my adventure, sailing and rowing experiences: the storm will end. It may rage on unabated for days but every storm I have ever been in has come to an end eventually. To get me through the dark days of my solo row across  the Atlantic,  I had a mantra written  on  my  cabin:  ‘THIS  WILL END!’ And indeed it did.

Ironically, though avoiding con-frontation and quitting when the going gets  tough have become more and more acceptable these days, people still judge us by  how  we  respond to a crisis. How we 

The art of  

GRITOne of my favourite quotes of all time—because I have had many opportunities to take his advice—is from the old Bulldog himself, Winston Churchill: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” You have got to love that kind of attitude and, of course, he is absolutely right.

perform when things are going well doesn’t matter nearly as much; it is our actions during the tougher moments—or days or weeks—that reveal our true character.

Will we emerge from the storm strong and intact and ahead of the pack? The attitude we take into the storm, and what we choose to do once in it, will be the deciding factor.

The point is, for all my isolated, storm-ridden, freezing challenges, I have much to be grateful for. We are all going to experience turbulent times in our personal and professional lives. How we deal with these storms determines the kind of people we are or will become.

Remember that the storm will pass. See it as a test, and even an opportunity. If possible, try to focus on the positives, even in the middle of the storm. Then, use the situation to your advantage if you can, so that when the storm clears, you are immediately up and running, rather than left floundering in the wreckage. When it’s all over and the clouds lift, you won’t have just survived; you will come out raring for more. ▲

Peter van Kets

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MOT IVA T IONMOT IVAT ION