The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

DONOVAN J Rolle spent this Father’s Day in reflection and celebration. He is the proud father of two pairs of twins - London and Donovan Jr, Jaylen and Jayden. He is also the proud author of his second book, “The Heart of a Spartan” - an accomplishment he will celebrate with an official book release this week.

With his hands full of kids and a heart full of laughter this Father’s Day, Donovan was able to reflect on his own life and the path that brought him to this point - a husband, father, businessman, athlete and an author. He was also in celebration mode. His book sets down most of the things he would want his children to know about life. The book is about just one event in his colourful life; but sometimes, it takes just one event to make a paradigm shift.

For Donovan, this one event was the Spartan Trifecta. The Trifecta is “the ultimate annual challenge – a complete mind and body transformation that commits you to three race distances in a single year”. By completing all three, one can earn the most coveted medal in Obstacle Course Racing, and entry into Trifecta Tribe.

The first race to compete in is either the Spartan Sprint or Spartan Stadion, which covers a 5k run with 20 obstacles.

The second, the Spartan Super, is a 10k race with 25 obstacles. The last race that Donovan competed in to win the trifecta medal was the Spartan Beast, which covered 21k and 30 obstacles.

The races are spread over a rugged terrain. Failure to overcome an obstacle will result in 30 burpees in order to move on to the next obstacle.

At the finish line of each race, every athlete receives a medal with a magnetic Trifecta wedge. Once the athlete completes the third race and receives that medal, the three wedges will snap together for the ultimate prize for a Spartan athlete.

When Donovan started out in this challenge, he had every expectation of completing it with nothing more than strong determination and sheer willpower. He is a certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer and the proprietor of Jay Fitness. He has competed in numerous races and amassed numerous awards and medals. But he ended up facing a battle that would make the Trifecta the most difficult race in his life.

But he has a belief: “There is nothing I cannot do physically. To me, it is never a matter of whether I will finish; it is only a matter of how much time it will take me to finish.

“I have found that this leads me to be competitive in anything I undertake. Whether it is due to nature or nurture, competition is in my blood. My thirst for competition led me to enter the Spartan race. I had never done anything like it before, but I knew I could do it simply because there is nothing I physically cannot do.

“If another human being can do it, then I know I can do it. Give me ample training, sufficient time and the proper parameters, and I will accomplish the task. I firmly believe that if you put your best foot forward, give maximum effort and do not give up, there are few things you cannot conquer.”

So Donavon took off to Bunnell, Florida in May of 2017 to compete in the Spartan Sprint and Spartan Super. It was gruelling and intense, But he completed each challenge! It was a fitting accomplishment that left him in fitness ecstasy, as he had just completed the Ironman Half Triathlon the year before. Donavon was meeting personal goals while setting an example for all his Jay Fitness clients that they could literally do anything they put their minds to.

When he returned home, he continued to participate in various local races and events. As a proud member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, and serving as their Director of Social Action, state of The Bahamas, Southern Region, he gladly took part in an obstacle course race they planned. All these events were good training leading up to the ultimate Spartan Beast. Little did he know, this race would be like no other.

Donovan recalls: “Boom! I got the baton and I was off, up and over the ten-foot inclined wall. I ran about 30 meters on the sand, under an obstacle, over another, high knees through some tires, and over a four-foot wall. And then, there was the last obstacle - a six-foot inclined wall. Up to that time, I had never had a major injury before. But as soon as I began to climb the wall, I knew that something was wrong. I felt the snap and heard it in surround sound simultaneously.”

It was a pain he called “indescribable”. But he couldn’t decide if it was his knee, or not finishing the race, which gave him more pain. He went home to ice his knee and rest his leg. His wife, Kimberley, family and friends convinced him to go to the hospital. There, he discovered that he had popped his quadriceps tendon. It is said to be a common injury for middle-aged men, and he was 39 at the time. Surgery was required. This active go-getter couldn’t believe he would have to bear six weeks of recovery time before he could even begin rehabilitation. With half of 2017 already gone, it seemed near impossible for Donovan to be able to complete the Spartan Trifecta, which must be done in a single year. He could have very well called it quits. He had every right to. But it’s just not in his blood.

Just three days after his surgery, Donovan signed up for the Spartan Beast. He was in a tremendous amount of pain, and the memory of the surgery was fresh. But he did not allow his mind to stay just where he was. He focused on where he could be. He geared his mind up to face one of his biggest challenges in life. He set his goal using the SMART acronym:

Specific - Spartan Trifecta

Measurable - Spartan Beast

Achievable - For sure

Realistic - Apparently only to me

Timely - December 9, 2017

He went into physiotherapy six weeks later with his goal in mind: “I have learned that whatever you set your mind to; your body will follow. My mind was focused on my recovery, so my body would follow.”

He took it slowly, followed doctor’s orders, and followed his physical therapist’s advice to pace himself and trust the process.

“Life is not just about accomplishing the grand-scale events,” he said.

“Life is made up of many small races that we must complete in order to get to the next level, the next chapter, or in my case, the next competition.”

On December 9, Donovan was on the course at the Spartan Beast event in Mulberry, Florida, making his dreams come true. His book, The Heart of a Spartan, shares the grit, the guts and the glory of achieving this feat.

That day, it was very cold and pouring rain. The mud made the course even more difficult. In the end, Donovan triumphed. He earned the coveted three medals and the three magnetic pieces that click together to make one medal - the badge of pride you earn as a member of the Spartan Tribe.

His book is more than just about a three-part race. It’s about the life lessons he learned before, during and prior to this life experience that has taken him to the next level. His nuggets of wisdom can be applied to any life goal. He offers insight into his own life as well as three others who overcame their own fitness struggles to become champions in their own right.

“It was raw excitement,” he says of that day.

“I accomplished it. I overcame what many thought I couldn’t. It was rewarding. Aroo! It was done even though I was wet and cold as ice.”

Through it all, Donovan says his family has been a big source of inspiration. In fact, his mother was in an accident and both of them went through recovery at the same time. This was a different time in his life. As my classmate at St Augustine’s College, both of us graduating in 1995, I saw him go hard at the things he really wanted. He went hard at Edward Waters College and graduated Magna Cum Laude with an accounting degree. He went hard into becoming certified as an international project manager and becoming a member of the American Academy of Project Management. And he went hard into fitness, totally transforming his body and then scores of others, becoming a recognisable name in fitness in The Bahamas.

He believes in putting family first. He has great examples in his father, Ishmael Rolle, who is a Green Beret - trained in England for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. His mother, Sharon Kelly, proved her determination time and time again throughout Donovan’s life, and her amazing story of overcoming an injury to take on a special task in the Holy Land is worth the read in his book. His grandfather Basil Kelly showed the meaning of togetherness by keeping the family close. His sisters Melanie, La’Nell, Lesha and Inecia were all competitive in their own right, and theirs was a house full of trophies.

This is Donovan’s second book. He released a book of poems entitled “Diverse” in 2012. Like many through the lockdowns of the pandemic, he had the time to reflect and write about his experience in a bid to inspire others and leave a legacy for his children worth telling.

Community service is also a big part of who Donovan is. Currently, he serves as Centre Manager for the Fox Hill Community Centre, which allows him to be on the ground and in the community touching lives each day. He has volunteered for Hands for Hunger, working at the warehouse assisting with the distribution of meals to hurricane shelters in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. He has also spearheaded several donation drives for youth groups, churches, non profit organisations and schools. He is also a Distinguished Toastmaster, and he has used his speaking skills to give motivational speeches at various events, with a focus on inspiring the youth.

This Saturday, Donovan will officially launch his book, “The Heart of a Spartan” at the Balmoral Club from 7am to 9am. The event will include a Spartan-inspired workout for guests, a signed copy of the book, a swag bag, light bites, specialty ice cream and mimosas. For more info, email Donovan at jayfitness242@gmail.com.