Cycling From Rock Bottom.

Kent Ohori's 7 Day Everest Challenge for Change.

By Black Sheep Cycling

April 22^nd, 2022

Most people have or will experience their own version of rock bottom. Life usually has a few of them, some worse than others. I can confidently say I endured a few of mine all at once. From the cavity of despair and loss, I learnt there is only one way forward, or up rather. At the deepest and darkest of my valley, I continued grinding deeper in unhealthy ways until I realized that while climbing out might take longer, be more painful and involve a few false starts, ultimately the view on the way up couldn’t be worse than where I started.

It was the 10th of April, 2019. It was the day I said goodbye to my father for the last time. He was the bedrock of my existence, he ushered me into this world, showed me unconditional love, how to live life, run our business and expand my horizons to their fullest.

Walking into the house the next morning I could never have predicted how my world would so suddenly crumble to ash. From finding my dad in bed, and the following sickening moment I realised he wasn’t sleeping still haunts me. The only sanguine reflection I have of that morning was how he had at least passed peacefully in his sleep.

Three months later, I sat in the palliative care ward next to my sick grandmother who was in an unrecoverable state towards the end of a difficult battle with cancer. She’d been admitted the week prior and each evening our family took turns staying with her to keep her company. On the final of those evenings, I had offered to stay with her and not long after my family had left, I was again alone with her as I unwittingly watched her take her last breath.

What a cruel rollercoaster ride those months were. From one devastation to another. Something no one can ever be prepared for.

The grief that followed engulfed me like a tidal wave, dragging up from my ocean floor some old personal issues to then dump me down into a pretty dark and lonely place. Initially dealing with it in all the wrong ways. Withdrawing myself from society and drowning myself in alcohol. I was putting on a brave face but in so much pain behind closed doors. I was experiencing a strong sense of hopelessness and a feeling that there was no future for me.

The support from those around me was amazing but the one thing that really helped me through this low point was running. Shortly before this dark period, I had slowly gotten back into exercising, first through running, followed soon after by cycling and triathlon training. Setting myself race goals made it considerably easier to look forward to the future rather than dwelling too deep into the past. Setting a goal and striving to achieve it through exercise gave me back so much empowerment and self-confidence. Replacing late nights and excessive drinking with early mornings and post-ride brews. With just a pair of sneakers and a bike.

Establishing healthy routines through exercise was essential in getting my life back on track. It wasn’t just the exercise itself but the sense of being a part of a positive and empowering community of like-minded people who also enjoyed endorphins and some banter. I was hooked. My newfound love for getting outside and being active saved my life.

It would have been about a year after my dad’s passing when I made a promise to myself. I would use exercise and in particular, cycling to continue to help me become a better version of myself, and give back to the community that helped me when I needed it most. After overcoming my setbacks, I have been on a mission to promote the benefits of exercise for better mental health.

Three years later, I have now accomplished some awesome things with my cycling, running, and swimming, raised money for charity and met some incredible people along the way. I will never forget the countless times I’ve used cycling to help me on those days I’m just not feeling 100%. Either heading out for an early morning bunch ride with the crew or going for a solo ride into the local mountains to soak in some fresh air and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. The view at the top isn’t bad either.

With the support of Black Sheep, I am attempting to complete an Everesting challenge in every state and territory along the East Coast of Australia in a timeframe of seven days. Starting in Hobart and making my way back up to Brisbane. Riding for 75+ hours over 1,100kms and climbing more than 44,240m of elevation. The purpose of this challenge is to share my story and raise awareness for breaking the stigma associated with poor mental health. As well as raise money for the great work LIVIN.org does in this space. I hope that by sharing my story, I can help those out there who are suffering in silence. It’s never been more important to raise awareness of the effects of poor mental health with the ongoing effects of the pandemic and the heartbreak of our local community with the most recent floods.

I have gone through some rough times and I’m sure most of you reading this will as well. No matter how low you may feel, there’s always a way to rebound. Who you were yesterday doesn’t have to be who you are tomorrow. We all have the capability to overcome some horrible setbacks.