CAF Paratriathlon Camp

On Saturday I spent several hours, along with Mark, being a ride escort at the CAF Paratriathlon training camp. The goal of this three day camp was to take the skills and abilities of amputee paratriathletes to the next level. Previously, the camps were less than one day long so this was a big undertaking by the CAF. In the afternoon session there were about 17 athletes who were mostly below the knee amputee’s. Their ages ranged from 17 to 55 and their bicycle skills ranged from novice to proficient. Helping with this event was very inspirational, made me appreciate the resiliency of the human spirit, and that I have nothing in my life that is really worth complaining about.

One of the athletes that I helped was a semi-proficient rider but her hill climbing abilities needed improvement. She lives in an area where it’s mostly flat and was surprised about how many hills we have in San Diego! I was finally able to pay back people that have helped me in various ways on rides by “pushing” her up the hill with my hand on her back. She definitely had a stick with it mentality. She kept pedaling all the way to the top of the various hills even though her quads were burning and it would have been easier for her to take a breather. Hopefully, I was able to help her with some hill climbing skills/techniques.

After the ride, I talked some with a remarkable person, Amy Purdy. She has a blog at http://amy-purdy.blogspot.com/  There are also some good interviews with her at http://cooler.mpora.com/features/-/interviews/interview-with-amy-purdy.html/ and at http://flickamag.com/2009/05/18/element-eden-advocate-meet-amy-purdy/   Her story and the work she does with Adaptive Action Sports is truly amazing. Please take the time to read about her, you will be inspired!

Photo is from Gordon Weldon/USA Triathlon taken at USAT Paratriathlon National Championships