Highs & Lows Method

Her name is Marie-José Pérec. She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter. She is a great athlete and a great human being, drawing the borders of the map of potential which one can reach when the body and the mind are in complete synchrony.

Did she have the speed before or the energy to achieve beyond dreams? She says that running was innate to her, like a wild horse chasing through woods, but when this calling matched a dream – to show everyone where is Guadeloupe- she became unstoppable.

She was blessed with having her spiritual guide close to her, her grandmother Eleanor. Eleanor was from a modest life in Guadeloupe, but nothing about her being modest. She was wise, vocal, and daring – fueling Marie-José’s young mind from an early age.

Eleanor told her « Too much talking Marie-José, act… », crafting a brain set to win to match the long muscled legs set to compete. With this education, Marie-José was conditioned to hit every ball as if it is the last one, to run as if it is the last one… After all, isn’t this what we all have, just this moment? Marie-José was capable of maximizing each situation that she was in with a rush of health existentialism and the result was breaking record after record.

Energy seems to be a focus of attention for Marie-José, matching her energy to the situations and chasing the right energy she needed at precise moments. When she was going nowhere with one of her French coaches, whom she says « was more afraid than me just a minute before the race » – she sought the stability of a German coach. The German coach however was not a dreamer, when she faced the Epstein-Barr disease, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, her German coach settled for less and not believing in this fiery-eyed athlete’s capabilities. She saw an American coach dancing with the team on the side just minutes before the race and end up winning prizes with a positive attitude. She decided to pursue it, locating to the States for her training.

Her last race in Sydney was also about energy. When she faced aggression and hatred, unparalleled to the spirit of the Olympics, she felt it was too much negativity to bear for her and she was brave enough to walk away because « it was the right thing to do for her well-being ».

It came with an enormous price to pay, of course, the price of walking away for a brain that was built to run forward. Marie-José challenges the modern definition of « winning », which is not always about winning a trophy but winning your integrity.

She says « When you are on top of your game it’s more difficult to stay there than to arrive there », a reality that is missed by many. The effort needed to get us somewhere is expected to double, triple, or even quadruple to just stay there. It makes me wonder if it is worth it or if should we just honor our potential and then know when to walk away before we deplete our spirit…

Marie-José speaks with stars in her eyes, a tremble in her voice, and a twist in her smile. She is the humbling example of a grandiose woman who will inspire many more athletes to come.

To honor her mission, if you don’t know wherever Guadeloupe is please check it out now.

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”

Babe Ruth