Life is fragile - so live it now!
Tell us your story - After the traumatic experince of seeing his oldest kid get very ill, Henrik Madsen made a decision: He wanted to rise from the sofa and challenge himself to do something different and show that anything is possible! Life is fragile and can change very fast, so Henrik saw it as an opportunity to challenge himself while he could. Read his touching story here.
The basics
Henrik Madsen
Age 44, from Brøndby Str., married with 4 children - 2 of each.I have no background in triathlon, this is my first.
Why have you chosen to give yourself the challenge of doing a half or full iron-distance triathlon?
I had a very hard year in 2010. In march 2010 my oldest daughter got very ill with an aneurisme (cerebral haemorrhage).
I was called by our neighbors and we did emergency treatment and got her to the hospital immediately. She was in intensive care for 3 weeks and very critical for about 2 months but she did survive and is back on track today, not 100 % but she will be able to live a good life.
I promised myself to get up from the sofa and pick my own challenge to illustrate that I am able to do this, reminded by how fragile this life is, and how fast it can be changed. I promised myself that if my daughter could fight her way back, then I will be able to make this challenge.
Why are you doing KMD Challenge Aarhus and KMD Challenge Copenhagen?
Tri seems like the perfect sport for me and I couldn´t imagine anywhere else to make my challenges both Copenhagen and Aarhus and it seems like a very solid and professional set-up.
Tell us your greatest/most fun experience in sports
Actually it is related to my training for the last 4-5 months, very happy to be able to actually swim instead of just a dip in the pool
What motivates you?
My daughter / children, general health, strong people with a set of goals and as described being reminded to “do it while you can“ will not grow into be a bitter old man.
What are your expectations for KMD Challenge Copenhagen and KMD Challenge Aarhus?
I am sure this professional set-up will pay back months of hard training and make this event into a major experience for me, and since this is my first Challenge i also expect it will make me feel like a “real triathlete“ and finally I guess it will inspire me to set new goals for myself and my family.
