Born to Perform Read online

  “Born to Perform… touches at the heart of what it takes to succeed. Gerard Hartmann is an unsung hero with a unique ability to heal, motivate and instil self-belief in those he treats.”

  —Dame Kelly Holmes, double Olympic champion, 800 metres and 1,500 metres

  “Rugby was professional, but my body was not! Gerard Hartmann’s hands were needed to bridge that gap… In Born to Perform he uses those same hands for more gentle work: a candid portrayal of what made him the foremost Irish triathlete and a world-leading physical therapist.”

  —Keith Wood, former international rugby player

  “For those of you lucky enough to meet Gerard Hartmann on your journey through life, you will instantly recognise his voice and infectious enthusiasm in his inspiring book Born to Perform. For those of you who haven’t, prepare to meet a very special man when you read this book. Truly a one-off.”

  —Paul Galvin, Kerry senior football team; Footballer of the Year 2009

  “…an inspirational book that touches at the very heart of why sport is such an integral part of many people’s lives. Gerard Hartmann…shares his unique life story which captures the very essence of the value of sport and of the pursuit of excellence.”

  —Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, Cork senior hurling team; Hurler of the Year 2004

  “Passionate, honest, gifted and inspiring. Not only has Gerard touched the lives of so many people...he transformed them. His positive attitude is infectious. A true champion of life.”

  —Senator Eamonn Coghlan, three-time Olympian and former 5,000-metre world champion

  “In this compelling read, the enthusiasm and grá for life of Gerard Hartmann penetrates to the core of your spirit just as deeply as his healing hands do for his athletes.”

  —Mickey Harte, Manager, Tyrone senior football team

  “This book explores the mindset and common threads of success in sport and life and leaves you with the clear idea…that excellence is perseverance in disguise.”

  —Marcus O’Sullivan, Head Athletics Coach, Villanova University, PA, US; three-time world indoor 3,000-metre champion

  “[Gerard Hartmann’s] wisdom and knowledge on how the mind and body work together in healing is unique…He gives an injured player or athlete the confidence needed to get back to his best. Born to Perfom shows much of his uniqueness and expertise.”

  —Lar Corbett, Tipperary senior hurling team; Hurler of the Year 2010

  “Born to Perform is a must-read for those seeking excellence in a competitive world.”

  —Jack O’Connor, Manager, Kerry senior football team

  “In Born to Perform, Gerard has captured the essence of the ‘soul of sport’ from every angle. A must-read to see what it takes to reach gold medal performances.”

  —Cyle Sage, former professional triathlete; two-time US Olympic Developmental Coach of the Year for Triathlon.

  “An inspirational read that challenges the competitor in all of us to be the best we can possibly be.”

  —Brian Cody, Manager, Kilkenny senior hurling team

  “[Born to Perform] will inspire people to overcome adversity and proves that positivity, love and a ‘never give up’ attitude will bring you far in life.”

  —James McGee, Irish international tennis player

  “Born to Perform is a very inspirational story about a man who never settled with good, but kept pushing for excellence. I read the book during one weekend and it stole lots of needed sleep from my training regime. Gerard Hartmann inspires me to be the best I can be.”

  —Lisa Norden (Sweden), world triathlon champion 2010

  “In Born to Perform, [Gerard Hartmann] openly shares his story of how sport shaped his life and, through his gift, how he shaped the lives of so many sportspeople.”

  —Lornah Kiplagat (the Netherlands/Kenya), three-time world champion in the half marathon; world cross country champion

  “Running through my mind are thoughts of all the races I ran. On my chest are medals from the races I won. In my heart is gratitude to Gerard Hartmann for helping make my dreams come true. I am very honoured to be a part of this wonderful book.”

  —Douglas Wakiihuri (Kenya), world gold medallist and Olympic silver medallist in the marathon

  Born to Perform

  How Sport Has Shaped My Life

  Gerard Hartmann

  Published by Orpen Press

  Lonsdale House

  Avoca Avenue

  Blackrock

  Co. Dublin

  Ireland

  e-mail: [email protected]

  www.orpenpress.com

  © Gerard Hartmann, 2011

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-871305-27-2

  Hardback ISBN: 978-1-871305-30-2

  ePub ISBN: 978-1-871305-34-0

  Kindle ISBN: 978-1-871305-33-3

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior, written permission of the publisher.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Every effort has been made to fulfil requirements with regard to reproducing copyright material. The author and the publisher will be glad to rectify any omission at the earliest opportunity.

  Royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Console (www.console.ie), the national charity for supporting people in suicidal crisis and those bereaved by suicide.

  Photos on back cover depict Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and Kelly Holmes in the Hartmann International Sports Injury Clinic, Limerick, in 2005 and 1999 respectively.

  Printed in the UK by MPG Books Group Ltd.

  This book is dedicated to

  my parents Patrick and Thecla Hartmann,

  and my wife Dr Diane Bennis

  and son Patrick Tadgh Hartmann.

  About the Author

  Since 1991 Gerard Hartmann has worked as a physical therapist with many of the world’s greatest athletes, including over 60 Olympic medal winners, plus numerous world champions and world record holders.

  He has served on national teams with the United States, Ireland and Great Britain at the past five Olympic Games, and has been appointed physical therapist to the Irish Olympic Team for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

  He operates Hartmann International Sports Injury Clinic at the University of Limerick, and also at the High Altitude Training Centre in Iten, Kenya.

  In his own sporting career, Gerard was the first known Irishman to compete in a triathlon. He was also among Ireland’s first triathlon champions, winning seven national senior championships from 1984 to 1991.

  He represented Ireland in European, World Championship and Hawaii Ironman events – and is thus recognised as one of the pioneers of the sport of triathlon. He was also responsible for founding the Limerick Triathlon Club and starting the Kilkee Triathlon – also known as “the Hell of the West” – which remains the longest running triathlon in Ireland.

  Foreword

  By Frank O’Mara, two-time world indoors 3,000-metre champion; three-time Irish Olympian 1984, 1988 and 1992

  The great American industrialist Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think that you can or that you can’t, you’re usually right.”

  I first met Gerard Hartmann when he was thirteen years old, and even then he firmly believed that he c
ould. His self-confidence and enthusiasm are two of his most endearing qualities.

  I had known of Gerard for many years before I met him. His mother and my father grew up in the neighbouring villages of Kilkishen and Tulla, Co. Clare, and came from staunch GAA families.

  Our first encounter was at a Limerick Athletic Club training session at the LPYMA grounds on the Ennis Road, directly across from Gerard’s family home. Gerard bounded into the grounds that night full of youthful ebullience and quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with.

  In Gerard’s second season of competitive running, he moved up from the 100-metre and 400-metre sprint events to the 800 metres and broke my North Munster Schools record by three seconds, running it in two minutes and nine seconds. His record, I believe, stood for twenty-one years.

  He was a big lad with lots of talent, and he was always eager to race, famously winning the 800 metres, 1,500 metres, 3,000 metres and 1,500 metres steeplechase in the Munster Championships in 1978. He broke two records in the process.

  He added to his reputation for flair by always sporting the latest sports gear. He had a fascination with running shoes and track spikes.

  While many of us considered him overzealous, those of us who knew him better could see that he had an enquiring mind and an extraordinary attention to detail, with an equal measure of enthusiasm and a desire to be the best.

  He kept a meticulous account of every training session and recorded his heart rate and weight daily. His training diaries were sprinkled with inspirational quotes and adorned with motivational pictures of his favourite athletes such as Lasse Virén, Eamonn Coghlan and Sebastian Coe.

  Amazingly, he was always willing to share his knowledge about training and performance with fellow competitors.

  Gerard joined the exodus of Irish junior athletes of the 1970s to the US on an athletic scholarship. He enrolled as a freshman at McNesse State University in Louisiana in 1979. There he was introduced to the arduous cycle of injury and therapy.

  Later, as college teammates at the University of Arkansas, Gerard helped me survive a year-long, almost career-ending injury. Even before he had professional training he was learning about sports physiology, injury treatment and rehabilitation. He had a contagiously positive disposition. His company alone always lifted your spirits.

  Over the years we both had more than our fair share of injuries. I stuck to Gerard’s coat tails during those years. He was always at the vanguard of treatment protocols, constantly exploring new, and often radical, approaches. During one particularly adventuresome period, we endured deep tissue manipulation applied by a high-powered hose while submerged underwater. Gerard understands the frustrations of those demented by injury and desperate to recover. He has been there and through it himself.

  Gerard was one of the world’s leading triathletes when his career tragically ended. He crashed and broke his hip cycling at 50 kilometres per hour on a north Florida road and was airlifted to hospital. It was a devastating end to his competitive athletic career.

  Fortuitously, for all those he has treated since, Gerard channelled his considerable energy into his burgeoning career as a physical therapist. He immerses himself in every individual’s predicament and partners with them in a comprehensive rehabilitative programme that includes direct treatment of the injury, strengthening and stretching exercises, and a fitness maintenance plan. He convinces you that, not only will you recover, but that when you do you will exceed previous performance levels. He never wants you to experience the frustration of unfulfilled promise or the disappointment of a career interruption.

  When Gerard asked me to be his best man at his wedding to Diane in October 2006, I was honoured. When he contacted me and told me about the book he was writing and how he wanted me to write the foreword, I was equally honoured.

  Gerard does nothing by half measures. When I read the initial manuscript of Born to Perform, it inspired me so much that I wanted my son to read it. Gerard wrote the book his own way and in his own style, and his voice is identifiable straightaway. It is a powerful life story that will inspire people to believe that they can reach their true potential in sport and in life.

  After all these years knowing Gerard Hartmann, I know that, not only does he believe he can, but he also believes you can. And, as Henry Ford would say, he is right.

  August 2011

  Foreword

  By Sonia O’Sullivan, world gold medallist and Olympic silver medallist in the 5,000 metres; three-time European champion and two-time world cross country champion.

  Flight QF9: Melbourne via Singapore to London.

  I never look forward to long-haul flights, but they’ve got to be done.

  I was travelling to London for the Chefs de Mission seminar in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games, where I will be the Chef de Mission to the Irish Olympic Team.

  Gerard had sent me a copy of Born to Perform, so I saved it until the flight, knowing that it would shorten my journey.

  I really did not know what to expect from Born to Perform, except that I know that anything Gerard does he does extremely well, with no half measures. I was looking forward all week to burying myself in this new book. Once I started reading, I knew it would be nearly impossible to put down.

  Gerard has been my trusted physical therapist for twenty years. More importantly, he is one of my very good friends. He has always been there for me through my highs and lows as an athlete. It’s not just that he is the best physio I know; it’s the positivity and belief he brings out in me. He is really a special person.

  When I was a schoolgirl, I remember watching Gerard on RTÉ defending his Irish triathlon title year after year. I saw articles and photographs of him in the Irish Runner and Marathon magazines, but I never knew his passion as an athlete.

  I’ve known Gerard since 1992. It was at this time that he really found his gift, when his career as an athlete was cut short through injury.

  Born to Perform gives a great insight into the sport of triathlon and Ironman events, and into Gerard’s life as a world-class athlete.

  I understand now the passion Gerard has for his daily work. He took his sporting passion and work ethic and re-invented himself as a physical therapist, determined to be the best he could possibly be. Gerard is known universally as having a special ability and as one of the best physical therapists in the world.

  He knows the commitment required to be a world-class athlete. He has experienced success and disappointment along the way as an athlete himself, and this allows him to impart his passion and motivation to every person that walks into his clinic. Gerard is the most positive, energising person I know. His experience and knowledge allows him to diagnose an injury, and assist athletes to work through a plan of treatment.

  Whenever I have gone to Gerard with injuries, he always makes the diagnosis and then asserts the positives. His treatments are never easy, but they are always worthwhile. It’s never about what you can’t do, always about what you can do.

  I would say that he is the most pro-active person that an athlete from any sport can have in their corner. When it looks like their back is up against the wall and they are facing the biggest challenge of their life, he is the person who helps make dreams come true.

  I would like to thank Gerard for all the positive energy and support he has given to me throughout my career, even now when I am trying to get out and run, to enjoy the freedom and joy that running gives to me each day.

  Gerard shares his passion and enthusiasm for sport and life in Born to Perform. It is a book full of important sporting and professional life lessons from the life of a remarkable person. The stories and insights that Gerard shares are inspirational.

  Above all, Born to Perform will empower readers to believe in themselves and to strive to be the best they can be.

  August 2011

  Preface

  In November 2010 the great Kilkenny hurler Henry Shefflin looked up at me from the physio table, where I had him p
inned down with both thumbs dug deep into the back of his knee, and said: “There’s a great book in you. When are you going to write it?”

  I answered with the question, “Well, Henry, when are we going to see your book?”

  He responded, “I suppose after I’ve won a few more All-Ireland hurling titles with Kilkenny. Ten would be nice. But, seriously, you’ve got to do a book, Gerard, you have some great stories to tell.”

  Sometimes, all one needs is a nudge from someone who they really respect. Henry’s encouragement stayed fresh in my mind and, weeks later, another friend, Kenneth Gasque, the director of La Santa Sports Complex in Lanzarote, hit the same note with the comment, “Gerard, you must write the book on the sport of triathlon in its infancy. You are one of the pioneers of the sport – you must do the book.”

  So I promised Kenneth that I would write the book. In fact, I travelled to Lanzarote on my own in February 2011 for eight days, with the sole purpose of spending ten to twelve hours writing each day – by hand, no less. I immersed myself in the project with greater mission and zeal than preparing for any Ironman triathlon. Rather than ending up with sore legs, I sustained writer’s cramp and costochondritis (inflammation of the ribs) from being bent over writing for hours on end.

  I dialled into my memory bank and creative self, putting my heart and soul into writing this book. In the end, I came away with about 300 A4 pages, all handwritten, and this became the makings of the story of how sport has shaped my life. I gave it my all, in the spirit of the Olympic ethos Higher, Faster, Stronger.

  I called my good friend Ian O’Riordan, one of the leading sports writers with the Irish Times, and told him that I was over in Lanzarote for eight days writing my book. Ian responded, “Wow, that’s a big challenge, Gerard, and a big commitment.” On my return, I showed Ian the handwritten pages, and straightaway he supported and encouraged me.

  So what is Born to Perform all about?