I now realize that trying to include a full-grown tiger in a Guinness record attempt was a pretty crazy idea. But I have to say, in my defense, that I was lulled into a false sense of security. A couple of weeks ago, when I went to the Tiger Temple here in Thailand, I met the Abbot who first started the practice of adopting orphaned tigers about a decade ago. The monastery now is home to more than 15 tigers and the Abbot let me walk with a 4 year-old male tiger named Hernfa. Although he wasn’t exactly tame, Hernfa seemed to be quite well behaved under the Abbot’s supervision. That is why when I went to the Temple last Sunday to make an attempt on the record for skipping the fastest 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) and planned to skip the last 100 meters with Hernfa, I had no fear or hesitation.
Unfortunately, as soon as I got to the Temple, my feelings of confidence were instantly shattered! For one thing, the Abbot was called out of town that day. Even though he had appointed 4 extremely capable handlers to assist me, still I missed the aura of peace that surrounded the kind head monk. To make matters worse, the handlers themselves weren’t sure that skipping with a tiger was such a good idea! They were worried that the tiger might attribute the skipping movement to that of an injured animal and be inspired to attack me! At this point, I should have probably just done the record without the tiger, but I couldn’t bear to miss the opportunity of a lifetime. I optimistically assured the assistants that everything would be fine.
The assistants reluctantly agreed to let me go ahead, but they made sure I fully understood what I was getting into. They explained that there was no hospital close by, and if anything happened, they would take care of me the best they could at the Temple! They also asked me which of the 3 cameramen filming the event was the most important. It seemed that they could only protect one person, not all of them! At first, I was shocked by their apparent callousness, but I later figured out that what they meant was that only one cameraman should stay near me and the others were advised to keep their distance!
By this time it was crystal clear that I was taking a serious risk. The handlers wanted to do a trial skip with the tiger before the start, but I felt more comfortable just jumping into the event. The racecourse was 100 meters (about 109 yards) long and I had to go out and back a total of 50 times. So, instead of skipping the last lap with the tiger and being kept in suspense for 30 minutes, I decided to take my chances and skip the first lap with the big cat.
The handlers gave me Hernfa’s leash and we walked to the starting line. Everyone was more than a little nervous, especially me! There is nothing like some fear to instill fervor in one’s prayers! The timers started the stopwatches and my tiger friend and I were off! And we had a great time! At first, I skipped as if on eggshells, but as I grew more confident, I put some enthusiasm into it. Skipping is fun and even Hernfa seemed to be enjoying it. We finished the lap and I handed the leash back to the handlers. Now that I was still in one piece, I set my sights on the challenge of breaking the record.
Skipping is one of the best overall exercises around, but it should be done on a smooth, flat course. The road at the monastery was extremely rough and, from the very beginning, the gravely surface began eating up the soles of my running shoes. The added friction also made my feet hot and I wasn’t sure how long I could last once the blisters started kicking in. To make matters worse, the course was sloped so that I was going uphill in one direction and downhill in the other. Skipping uphill significantly affects your speed and you can’t make up the lost time on the downhills. Although skipping 5 kilometers is a new category for Guinness, I had to go under 40 minutes in order for the attempt to count.
As it turns out, despite all the obstacles, I was making good progress, and towards the end I realized I had some time to spare. I shouted out to the handlers, who were standing off to the side, that I would like to finish the last lap with Hernfa. They agreed, so once again I took the tiger’s leash and skipped off with my striped friend. But this time there was a difference. On the first lap the tiger was heading away from his cage towards the canyon where he was eagerly looking forward to roaming around. On the last lap, Hernfa was heading back towards his cage and he was really dragging his feet. I became absorbed in my thoughts about how much precious time I was losing, until something startled me back to reality.
Besides tigers, the monks in the monastery take care of other animals including boars, cows, water buffalo, horses and deer. In the middle of our slow progress to the finish line, the tiger suddenly spotted a water buffalo crossing the road up ahead in the distance. Hernfa’s whole body tensed up like a coiled spring ready to explode. People talk about the “eye of the tiger” and now I understand what they mean. Every fiber of the tiger’s being was concentrated on that water buffalo. The intensity was electrifying. The tiger began pulling me along on his leash until the handlers rushed to my aid and managed to finally restrain him.
Once the water buffalo was out of sight, Herfa slowed down to his torturous slow pace. I got impatient and I did something really stupid. I handed the assistants the tiger’s leash and skipped off to the finish line. The first thing that you are told when walking with a tiger is not to go in front of him. Instinctively, he sees you as prey. My friends told me that as soon as I bounded off, the tiger once again got into his attack mode. I had taken the place of the water buffalo and I didn’t have much of a head start! Fortunately, the handlers were right on top of the situation and immediately grabbed hold of Hernfa, one even latching onto his tail.
Overall, the event was a great adventure and a valuable lesson. Although I broke the record with minutes to spare, it was a mistake to put myself and others at risk. However, it also inspired me. The name Hernfa means “skywards”. For the last few days I’ve been thinking that if I could have the same intensity that I felt in the tiger and direct it skywards to God, I would be well on my way to sainthood!
