Ironman Hamburg – Tim Don: A tale of agony, pain, struggle and happy ending

T in the Don pats his finger against the scars on his forehead and laughs. Not happy and hilarious, Don laughed softly and embarrbaded. Just as he wanted to take his weight on this event, which caused the scars. But it does not work.

Small and round, they are scars. Insignificant, you could almost think so. But they bear witness to an unimaginable pain. There are scars of titanium bolts pierced in her skull to create a kind of halo on her skull. A metal ring called "Halo" because Tim Don suffered a broken neck in his sport. "As a rule, we humans can move things we want to forget," says the 40-year-old professional triathlete. "And I want to forget, but it's hard."

Nine months have pbaded since the accident almost cost the British their lives. It arrived in Hawaii just before wanting to win the legendary Ironman of Kona. Now he is in a good mood on the terrace of a hotel in Hamburg and can not wait: This Sunday he starts again at the Ironman in the Hanseatic city on the long distance. "It's crazy when I think of Christmas," he says, stopping for a moment. He takes a deep breath and says, "Now I'm here, like in a dream." Donating dreams goes beyond participation – he does not just want to finish, but to qualify for Hamburg – for the race in Hawaii, accident, screws, pain What a man.

"I am ready," he says, "although I am not as fit as last year." How could he? "I know," he said smiling. "Still, it's frustrating. I'm training and I know, "Damn, you did better, but then my trainer said," Tim, remember … "" The last few months have been dying. ambition may be ambiguous, his words sounded scandalous, but his tone and his charisma are not

Nobody was faster than Don

After all, Tim Don is not just an athlete competitive, a pro since 1997. and from the long-distance triathlon since 2014 – with 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 180 cyclists and 42,195 runners, Don is also the husband and father of two children.A guy who is a man discreetly reserved, far from the race, 1.73 meters tall, 65 kilograms easy, not a friend of lapidary sayings.But as an athlete, just a friend of clear words and great goals.

And he says, "I want to go back to Hawaii." Where he wanted to win the Ironman World Cup in 2017, before a van gave him no only luck, but also almost killed him. Don had found the fastest time ever made by a triathlete on the Ironman series: 7:40:23, finished in 2017 in Brazil on his fourth long distance. A challenge. But then, with a loose wheel unit three days before the race, a truck driver missed it and rammed it. Diagnosis: fracture of the second cervical vertebra. "I was fortunate to have suffered no brain damage," he says.

A Type of Torture Instrument as Opportunity

In theory, the Briton had three options: ruff, surgery or halo. In fact, he had no choice. At least not so he wanted to do his sport again so intensely, and without having to endure further damage and other operations. Don's doctor, an extreme triathlete himself, immediately understood and advised him to Halo. The emaciated man does not think twice about it. Only two days after the accident, on Friday the 13th, the doctors drilled his skull under local anesthesia, fixed it with four screws and attached the ring, which reminds more of an instrument of torture medieval that a construction of recovery. The Halo has now determined his life and that of the family. "Although I did not know anyone who had ever talked to me about his experiences with him," he says

This athlete, who had been in shape for more than two decades, suddenly fell helpless. "I could not play with children, do not do anything myself, my wife had to take a shower, cut my clothes off because of the halo, put on my clothes and clean the screws on my head every day. sport because it's so hard for others and for you, "he says.

But it was not just impotence. To this is added a pain that broke all the dimensions at the beginning. The tablets, which should relax the 40-year-old, he did not tolerate. He vomited. "And if you do that, you lean forward," he says, mimicking the movement. "It does not work with a halo, but you do it automatically.The days were bad.I was about to go into the garage and use my wheel tool to pull out the screws. of my head. "

Every little movement was hell

In the first three weeks, he was in his build a halo and a support barely moved to the chest. He sat stiffly in a chair, slept for 30 to 90 minutes at most, every little movement was hell. Still, Don says, "Everyone is just talking about what I've had to endure. But my wife suddenly had a third child to watch. A grumpy kid. I'm damn lucky with her and the two little ones. "

Her daughter Matilda (7 years old) realized that she had to have an operation on her own head, she could guess what her father was going through." Sometimes she was sad because of me, "says Don looking out.His son was still too young at the age of three, did not understand why his father could suddenly no longer play. "But overall, both were very naive," says Don. "At Christmas, they decorated the halo of Christmas lights." That helped him and his wife, which also helped: that he had naively approached the thing, only did not know what was going to happen

Before Don even rid of the halo on January 3, he began to play sports.Lowering was not an option.At 35 years, he believes, he will have had taken more relaxed, but his career is on the stretch of the house. "In addition, the sport was like a therapy for me," he says. When he exaggerated, the body set the signs off – his head swelled, the screws loosened and had to be tightened. "Deep down, even deeper," he says, tracing the screwing action with his hand, "but not too deep." Then he shows one of the scars on his forehead – this is only a little of time before Christmas because the doctors had a screw out and replace with a new one. Don then held back a little.

Don can breathe only on the left while swimming

Physiotherapy still belongs to his daily life. His neck is not yet fully movable to the right, he keeps his head slightly turned to the left, while swimming he can only breathe to the left. In Hamburg, it does not even need to go to the water: the bathing was canceled because of the blue-green algae, the prelude is replaced by a six-kilometer run.

But even with long units of cycling and racing, Don suffers at some point. Since he does not keep his head upright, he balances it by running for a certain time with the right hip, the style changes, the leg starts to hurt. Nevertheless, he wants to do it and qualify for Hawaii. To be sure on October 13, he must be fourth in Hamburg. "Maybe it helps me in hard times, when I say to myself," After what you've done, you're enjoying it. "He whispers," Come on, Tim! "

Upon arrival for the first time Woman and children are waiting for a special moment." Even though the race should not be so good, my wife knows what we went through, "he says. "Shit is coming. It depends on how you handle it. Then he leans back, looks up and talks about reaching the stars. "And if you do not reach them," said Tim Don, "are you still in heaven?"