TEDxSingapore - Thaddeus Lawrence - Heroes of a 1,000 kilometres

[Applause] growing up as a child I always wanted to be a hero and was a hero who achieves is seemingly impossible the hero who lives a life of extraordinariness and about a year ago I had a glimpse into what that might look like in March last year I competed an event called the four desert ch Challenge and in the process helped to raise close to $200,000 for hostal children's causes and Charities the four deserts challenge itself is a series of food races that take place in the four Great deserts on this planet it began with the Sahara race the Sahara is the world's largest hot desert it covers an area of about 9 million square kilm less 10% of the African continent or you would prefer 13,000 little singapor the temperatures we experienc while racing out there 51° C now if you try to wrap your head around that yes that's quite hot the second desert was the goby desert in China we were racing in a region called The turpine Basin this turpine Basin is the second lowest point on Earth and what that means is that it shapes prevents heat from escaping and it traps it so much so that locals call the place the oven the next desert the atama in Chile South America the world's driest desert so dry that some parts of it have not seen rainfall ever since record keeping began it was high and it was dry Dr we were racing at 11,000 ft and to imagine what that might feel like think about running a marathon while breathing through one nostril and the last desert the fourth desert the bottom of the world Antarctica it's a polar desert and as a continent is the world's largest coldest and southernmost there's an Antarctic saying that says that at latitudes of 40° South there's no law at below 50° South there's no God and at below 60° South where we were there's no common sense so in the midst of all that brainless craziness there was a foot race to be run and the task for the four desert is quite straightforward you run walk limb crawl usually in that order 250 km and you do that well self-supported that means everything that you need all the clothes you need all your food all your G Equipment goes in your rock sack it's the equivalent of piggybacking a one-year-old child throughout the whole race but he was here against this backdrop of putting endurance to the ultimate test that I received my schooling in the hero's journey and one lesson stands up for me and this lesson comes by way of the Sahara race we are on day five in an overnight section of what is known as the long stage and time is past midnight and under what is almost a full moon I find myself Rising alongside Chris from England and P from Korea and by this stage our legs backs our joints have taken a beating of over 200 kilm our bodies are not so much screaming up for rest as they are begging to be laid down to fall SE and so it takes everything that we've got to just keep awake keep upright and keep moving much less move at speed and to compound matters Pig was nursing a late injury that was threatening his race but he's hanging on in there refusing to throw in the towel but his injury means that he has to move at a painfully slow pace and so the three of us get together and we decide that in this individual race if we were all to make it to the Finishing Line we going to to get together and we're going to have to give each other a leg up and so what we did was Chris and I would move along chatting with each other keep ourselves awake and then we'll wait for pig to catch up have a little rest and then keep moving again and by this constant repetition of move wait rest move wait rest we made it to the next check point and subsequently Days Later across the Finishing Line and there we are at the Giza Pyramids of Giza and I'm Meandering my way through the competitors and I Chan upon the current contingent and from that group P emerges he Sports me grabs me on my shoulders and literally presents me to his compatriots and all the while Ying away in a language that I don't understand but what I noce is the camer come up and everyone's going o ah wow picture and I'm looking at Pig I'm think what's going on what are you telling them and he turns to me looks me the eye he says that is that overnight section of the long stage My legs will kill me but you and Chris refused to give up on me you guys kept me going you I'm a hero now it would have been so tempting to see myself as a hero who arrived and saved the day and perhaps I was an accidental hero but that picture will not be complete you see in Aur racing we say that the people in the back of the pack are the real heroes if you are the back of the pack you'll be out there on the course far longer than everyone else sometimes up to three times longer if you at the back of the pack you would bear the brunt of the terrain the temperature and the toughness of the race far harder than anyone else if you're at the back of the pack you'll most likely be carrying a heavier pack nurse more physical injuries and face more mental demons people at the back of the pack are the of such race and in reality ha wasn't and in that one critical section of that overnight race the three of us happened to get together to give one another a legout and what did this lesson teach me well I learned that being a hero is not a solo Journey it is the guidance the support the encouragement of other people that take us all the way un learned that a hero is defined not by what we accomplish but what it takes to get there that in a big long race it small little steps to take us all the way and I learned that as I begin to grow up a little bit that my own satisfaction and fulfillment comes not so much from wanting to be a hero but in helping create Heroes so how do we move forward in all this what do I take away from all this well mining project will be the 10 and 10 and 10 and that is to run 10 marathons in 10 days in 10 different countries and that means that I run a marathon in country number one hop onto the plane get to Country number two in time to run another am the next day and on and on and on is it tough I think so might I fail there's a chance but is there a point to it all absolutely and what's the point to it surely there must be a purpose beyond the call of Adventure for all these craziness and my purpose came from my own realization that I was not the only kid growing up wanting to be hero I think every child grows up wanting to feel good about himself every child wants to feel empowered to stand on top of that world but the thing is many of our children already find themselves at the back of the pack they find themselves at the back of the p socially economically academically and they could do with a legout they could do with some heroes in their lives but not those of Pop Culture media and entertainment but real adults who they can look up to and Trust real adults who would Inspire them they need real adults who are involved in their daily lives you 10 and 10 and 10 it's about making Heroes of our children by putting hero mentors such as yourselves in their lives so I do the running you do the mentoring I give all I have to do 10 marathons in 10 days in 10 different countries and all I ask of you is that you give 10 hours in a month well actually in a year to Mentor one child that is the equivalent of exchanging one session of Facebook surfing for the opportunity to truly connect and share with someone 10 hours in a year I think we stand in a space of great ideas and inspiring people but these need to result in think inspirational I think it's not enough to be inspired we need to be inspiring and inspiration is a big huge project made up of little small special moments the mother treeson one said that in order to look at the messes I would never act what want to look at one I will and so I will end today with one question to you in the spirit of inspiration in the spirit of ideas worth spreading and worth doing what is one setep and you will take today thank you very [Applause] [Music] much that was nice

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 4,304

Keywords: 10 in 10, English, tedx talks, 2012, Adventure, TEDxSingapore, ted x, four, ted talk, education, philanthrophy, Thaddeus Lawrence, Philanthropist, TEDx, endurance, ted talks, marathon, tedx, Singapore, heroes, adventure, leadership, ted, race, heroism, desert, tedx talk

Id: TYWYXABoC_o

Length: 12min 34sec (754 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 08 2012