A sort-of promotion in the military due to outstanding service. A brevet doesn't carry the same authority as actually having the rank (or its pay) but kind of does? It's weird, but the point is to recognize someone without breaking their schedule for promotion. In other words, Assistant to the Regional Manager.
How far would you go to win a race? What would you be willing to endure or do to yourself in order to win?
These questions linger throughout Daniel Coyle's profile of Jure Robic, probably the world's best ultra-endurance athlete. Robic is a strange character to begin with, but his ultra-endurance ways are a bit terrifying:
When he overhears, Robic heartily dismisses their unease. "They are joking!" he shouts. "Joking!" But in quieter moments, he acknowledges their concern, even empathizes with it — though he's quick to assert that nothing can be done to fix the problem. Robic seems to regard his racetime bouts with mental instability as one might regard a beloved but unruly pet: awkward and embarrassing at times, but impossible to live without.
The craziness is methodical, however, and Robic and his crew know its pattern by heart. Around Day 2 of a typical weeklong race, his speech goes staccato. By Day 3, he is belligerent and sometimes paranoid. His short-term memory vanishes, and he weeps uncontrollably. The last days are marked by hallucinations: bears, wolves and aliens prowl the roadside; asphalt cracks rearrange themselves into coded messages. Occasionally, Robic leaps from his bike to square off with shadowy figures that turn out to be mailboxes. In a 2004 race, he turned to see himself pursued by a howling band of black-bearded men on horseback. "Mujahedeen, shooting at me," he explains. "So I ride faster."
His wife, a nurse, interjects: "The first time I went to a race, I was not prepared to see what happens to his mind. We nearly split up."
It's a fascinating read of a singular person. Go read the whole thing.
WritingExtreme sportsJure RobicMind over body?We're professionals, kids; don't try this at home