Nick Linton – Fear is the Thief of all Dreams

Media Release 13 March 2009

Nick Linton – Fear is the Thief of all Dreams

Fear is something that Heart Children and their families have to learn to deal with in their lives. Fear of dying, fear of surgery, fear of physical limitation, fear of being different, fear of the unknown. Nick Linton is an ultra endurance athlete who knows a little of that fear, having being diagnosed with a heart condition, but who thrives on kicking his own wider personal fears to touch and in doing so raising awareness and funding for Heart Children New Zealand.

In fact Nick is so driven in his desire to push himself beyond the pain and fear barriers in life that he has a new tattoo emblazoned on his left inner bicep. It reads ‘Fear is the Thief of all Dreams’.

Says Nick, “My attitude to fear is to take a big roundhouse kick to the head of it, Chuck Norris style.” And he will be putting his money where his mouth is in a series of endurance swims in coming months.

Nick already has a number of ultra endurance events under his belt including the Sri Chinmoy 100km run at Hagley Park, Christchurch and the 90 Mile Beach Run (70 km). His desire to enter the New Zealand Fire Service is behind his recent move from ultra endurance running, which strips the body of power, to ultra endurance swimming, which is power building.

His next test will be an ultra-endurance swim of 14km from Waiheke to Mellons Bay on Monday 16 March, dependent on tides and weather conditions. This will be a solo swim with an experienced support crew. Later in the year he will be teaming up with mentor Philip Rush to tackle Lake Taupo (40.2km), followed by an attempt to swim Cook Strait (30km), one of the most challenging marathon swims in the world.

Says Nick: “Let me be perfectly clear on something. I don't like open water. In fact, it scares the hell out of me. I don't like fish. I don't like things I can't see and I really don't do sharks. And that is exactly why I know I can do this. It seems strange, but I kind of get off on things that I really DON'T like to do. I am doing these Marathon Swims for two reasons: first and foremost to raise funds and awareness for Heart Children and secondly to give a round-house kick to the fear of open water that has always lived within me.”

“I know that when I'm out there, with the fear and the discomfort I'll be in, it will be nothing compared to an average day in the lives of many children with a heart condition”

“Someone once told me that courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgement that there is something more important at stake than the fear itself. I know that these thoughts and my awesome crew will help to see me through” says Nick.

Nick’s heart condition is known as SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) and he has a slightly enlarged heart. SVT causes the heart to beat faster than it should which can create problems such as shortness of breath, dizziness and chest discomfort. It is similar to the heart condition experienced by Rob Waddell. As Nick says “Keeping fit and eating healthily has become a priority for me and has motivated me to attempt weird and wonderful feats of Ultra-Endurance to aid Heart Children NZ”.

Twelve babies are born every week in New Zealand with a heart condition. This is the most common serious birth abnormality needing ongoing medical intervention. Around 1,000 babies and children receive treatment or surgery each year.

Heart Children New Zealand is the only organisation dedicated to provide the support needed by children affected by a heart condition and their families.

Nick has an on-line fundraising page www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/fearisthethiefofalldreams where donations can be made to support Heart Children New Zealand.

Donations can also be made by calling 0900 4 HEART to make a $20 donation.

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