Going the Distance: The George Thomas Story

By George Thomas, Jeff Welsch and Dr. Steven Schachter

Going the Distance is the compelling saga of George Thomas' quest to prove himself physically and emotionally after a car accident left him with life-threatening epileptic seizures. The story is told vividly through Thomas' eyes as he pedals 2,911 miles in the bicycle Race Across America. As he battles stifling temperatures, grueling climbs, relentless headwinds, heavy rains, tedium and hallucinations from sleep deprivation, Thomas is repeatedly reminded of the even greater obstacles he once had to overcome simply to ride a bicycle again. Ultimately, Thomas discovers his journey is more than an individual accomplishment; it's a platform to inspire others. Going the Distance examines his extraordinary evolution from an ordinary man with an ordinary name to an accomplished ultra-athlete. George Thomas' story is both intriguing and inspiring -- a shining example of courage in the face of enormous odds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sports Publishing
• Release date: Mar 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781613211762

George Thomas

George Thomas was born in 1922, in the former Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia.Called into the armed services when Japan started the war in the East, he was caught in the mountains of the island of Java and consequently interned in Japanese concentration camps for four years. He ended up working on the railway the Japanese were building through the island of Sumatra from Pakanbaru. This until the end of the war.After the war he went back to Holland and received an interest free loan from the Government, enrolled in the Academy of Arts and started studies in Interior Architecture and Design, a five year full time course.The fourth year, being a practical year, was completed in Sweden.Whilst in Sweden he was offered a scholarship to finish his studies in the final year of the Swedish Design Institution in Gothenburg, which led to his first job at the age of 26.He then married, started a family with the birth of a son and migrated to Australia in 1964 where 2 more sons were born into the family.He soon had a job designing school furniture for the New South Wales Department of Education, which he held until he retired.After retirement, he settled in Dunbogan New South Wales until moving into a retirement village at Avalon Beach at the age of 89, where he completed this book.