Kevyn Davis’ story is one of them.

This Sunday he will set out to conquer the King of the Mountain race, an achievement all by itself. But he will do it for the 39th time, at the ripe old age of 70. And he will do it despite the fact a large part of one of his feet is missing.

His is an inspiring story of true grit, from which we can all learn a valuable lesson. He embodies the notion that anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and don’t necessarily heed the advice of those who place limits upon you.

The last of the litter, as it were, the 12th child, born scrawny and with a deformity on his foot that required surgery to remove his big toe, his parents were told by the doctor he was not destined for any kind of athletic life. In the almost four decades he has taken on the mountain, he has shown that the doctor’s advice could not been further from the truth.

We asked Kevyn what drove him and it came back to the challenge. Yes, there was the high he got from running, but the sense of achievement seemed paramount.

One thing he does not push himself to his physical limits for is glory, describing himself as a mediocre runner. Yet he is a hero in our reckoning, a bloke who sets his mind on a goal, focuses and achieves it. 

In the end, he comes away with a deep sense of satisfaction. For the rest of us who can only marvel at his fortitude, well, we come away with inspiration and a sense that we could all push ourselves that little further in everything we do.

Kevyn, we salute you.