“In 1992, Julie Moss’s athletic performance at the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon went beyond winning, beyond sport, and smashed head-on into the realm of human drama.  She led the women’s field after nearly ten hours of racing.  As she came down to the final 400 meters, however, with the finish line banner in sight, her body simply gave out.  She went from running to walking to staggering in the blink of an eye.  The frailty of the human body was on display before millions as she stumbled and then fell.  Like a fawn taking it’s first steps, she willed herself to her feet and continued on toward what would have been the biggest win of her young career.

Like a punch-drunk fighter she was out on her feet, oblivious to the crowd massed on each side of her.  She fell again and lay on the street.  Her body had betrayed her.  With less than five yards to go, the second-place woman passed her for the win.  With the ABC cameras recording each moment, Julie summoned every ounce of courage and crawled toward the line.  The crowd went deathly silent.  Within an arm’s length of the finish, she reached one hand across the line and collapsed onto her back.  There was a small smile playing at the corners of her lips as she was carried to the medical tent.

Her message was clear:  To win is to finish.  To finish is to win.”

source: Workouts for Working People by Mark Allen and Julie Moss