Race Report: Achilles 5M Hope and Possibility

On Sunday, I took part in the most inspiring race I know, Achilles' own annual 5 mile Hope and Possibility race in Central Park.

It was founded along with Trisha Meili, the Central Park Jogger, who was brutally attacked while jogging in Central Park in 1989.  She nearly died from her injuries, but battled back and even ran the NYC marathon in 1995.  She is now a motivational speaker and on the board of Achilles.  The race takes its name from her (fantastic) book, I Am The Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility, and attracts people with all kinds of disabilities.


The team I ran with was Team A Step Ahead from my prosthetics company.   We were a kicking crew of about 30 amputees, from 5 year olds to 50 year olds, and varying athletic abilities.

The race started at 9.00 am when it was already hot.  I was feeling good as I started out, and decided to give it my all and see how well I could do.

Hand-crankers at the start.  All photos by kind permission of Rachel Van de Voorde.

All round the course I was inspired by the runners with disabilities taking on the course with their own particular challenges.  Army veterans running on one, or two prosthetic legs.  Strange as it may sound, I've always felt somewhat 'lucky' that I was born with my disability, so I never had the shock of suddenly having to adjust to life without a limb - it's all I've ever known.    People with cerebral palsy in wheelchairs, some pushing themselves backwards.  Blind runners.  Autistic runners.  Also around me - people with traumatic brain injuries and the like - 'invisible' disabilities to others, but just as challenging.  

In evidence today:  people who refuse to be daunted by their challenges, are determined to overcome them; give it their best, and in so doing, regardless of their final time, bring out the very best in the human spirit.

Around mile 3 I finally found my stride, huffed and puffed up and down the hills on the West side of Central Park, and crossed the line with a thumping heart, final time 46.25.

After that, my favourite part of the race:  cheering in the rest of the runners over the finish line, mixing with Achilles athletes and volunteers and the A Step Ahead team, and even catching up with Dick Traum, the founder of Achilles; the man who started it all.   No better way to spend a Sunday morning.

With Dick Traum, founder of Achilles International

Half Mile Hudson Swim

To help prepare for the NYC Triathlon next month, on Sunday morning I did a half mile swim in the Hudson, organized by Urban Swim.  Just getting access to the Hudson is not an easy thing - it is normally illegal, probably because of the strong currents and amount of ship traffic, but for this event, Urban Swim managed to scratch a few backs and twist a few knobs with various people working for authorities like the NYPD, Coastguard, Port Authorities etc, and got the green light to lay this event on.

Rachel and I met with Kat and Tessa from Achilles around 9.00 am to be signed in for the event, with about 40 other swimmers taking part.  At about 10.00 am, we were taken out in 2 boats up to about 100th Street, and then had to swim back down the river to another boat that would take us back to the dock.

I still get quite a bit of anxiety about swimming, so I need all the practice I can get.  I've found there are so many components - getting used to being in a wetsuit (which can feel claustrophobic and constricting), getting the breathing, swimming, and kicking all in sync (easier said than done), as well as the sighting, to make sure you're actually going in the right direction.

After being taken up the river, we had to wait around in the boat until 11.00 am sharp, until we were allowed in the water.  The waiting wasn't ideal, as this is when the old nerves can build up, and as the day was starting to warm up we were starting to boil in our wetsuits.

We were finally told we could pass the timing chips on our wrists over the mat at the back of the boat and jump into the river.

When I first got in I just couldn't get comfortable; in fact for the first five minutes I'd say I was really struggling, doing my best not to panic.  The water was colder than I expected, and I was hyper-ventilating; I don't know if it was from the cold or from the anxiety.  I was finding it hard to get into a rhythm, and took a couple of mouthfuls of water in.

Coughing and spluttering, for a brief moment I thought I wouldn't be able to make it.  One thing Urban Swim had done though was provide volunteer kayakers to help any swimmers in distress, and when I looked up, I could see one who'd noticed me struggling and asked me if I was OK.  Knowing back-up was close by, and it would be VERY hard to drown in a wetsuit, I decided I should do my best to get a grip and try to get my composure back.

Sure enough, after a brief panic about my nose-clip falling off (obligatory in all my swims), I was able to get some rhythm, and slowly but surely the target boat started getting bigger and within reach.

The current in the Hudson is so strong that you wouldn't actually need to take any strokes and you could complete the swim; my final time was 13 mins 23 seconds to cover about 800 metres.  It would have taken me at least double that in a swimming pool, and the fastest swimmer did it in just 8 minutes.

After the swim:  John Nunez, Tessa, Kat, Rachel, Ben

Getting on to the boat proved a bit tricky as I couldn't grab the stairs on the back of the boat, due to the current being so strong, and for about 10 seconds I had nightmarish (and maybe slightly drama-queenish) visions of being sucked under the boat and dying a tragic, premature, watery death, before being hauled out by Rachel and another helper on the back of the boat.

This swim was great preparation for the tri next month.  Even though it was 800 metres, and the tri will be 1600, the important thing is to get used to the feeling nerves before getting into the water, to keep calm when you dive in, and to find your composure as soon as possible so you can be relaxed in your breathing and start concentrating on your stroke.  Fingers crossed, when I get into the Hudson next month, everything will be OK.

Austin ParaTriathlon Nationals

Team Achilles at the Finish Line

Last week-end I took my first trip down to Texas with Achilles for the National Paratriathlon finals.  Whoever won this event in one of the six categories would go on to represent the US in the International finals in New Zealand later this year. The six categories are: TRI1; wheelchair user; TRI2 severe leg impairment (my category), TRI3, les autres, TRI4, arm impairment, moderate leg impairment, and TRI6, visual impairment.  The distances of the race:  750 metre swim, 20k bike, and 5k run.

The day before the race I went for a classification meeting and was told that I couldn't compete in the Nationals, as I'm not a US citizen, but I could still race in the Open Classification wave, which left about 10 minutes after everyone else.  I was OK with this - it meant less pressure competing against other people in my category, so I could just focus on completing my swim and then enjoying the rest of the event.

Daniel Tratt exits the water

Exiting the water and helped by handlers into transition

On the day of the event, I awoke at 4.45 am to travel over to the transition area to get set up for a 7.10 am start, along with the rest of my Achilles team-mates.  Looking back, the wait for the start was the hardest part of the whole day.  I felt a strange mixture of emotions; I was definitely nervous about panicking in the swim and not completing the race, but I also felt excitement and was really choked up that I was part of such a prestigious event.  When I came to the U.S. nearly 10 years ago I could bike, but I definitely couldn't run or swim - competing in a triathlon seemed completely off limits to me.

I took the choking up to a new level after having entering a particularly foul-smelling port-o-loo.  I did very nearly throw up, but just about held it together and by the time it came to get my wetsuit on for the start, I was able to get it together and focus on just finishing the swim.

Our wave had to get in the water and wait a couple of minutes before the gun went off.  When it did, I felt calm and just knew I had to go slow but steady, and not hyperventilate, to make sure I could get round the water course, marked by large yellow buoys.  We were swimming in the river in downtown Austin; the water was completely flat and also warm, which helped.

Once I got into my stride, I felt fine, even though I was zig-zagging along a bit.  I'd put my head down, swim for a bit, and then find I'd gone off course.  However I was able to finish the swim comfortably and was excited to exit the water having just finished my longest ever swim - 750 metres.

Lamar Brown and Drew Garrison cross the finish line

Crossing the line

With the help of a handler assigned to me, Karyn, I got changed into my biking gear and was out of the transition area for the course around downtown Austin.  My new bike felt really good.  It was a flat course with just a few climbs and turns, so I was able to get some decent speed up.

Well deserved ice-bath!

After the bike, I came in and then just had the 5k run to complete.  It was quite hot by the time I started the run, but I felt OK and after I'd run for 10 minutes or so felt like I was getting into my stride.     I crossed the finish line with a final time of 1.48.

My final splits were: swim: 27 mins, bike: 40.40 (18.2 mph av), run 28.49 (9.18 min/mile).  The winner of my category won it in 1.27, so I would have been well off pace, but I was happy with my performance and I'm now looking forward to the Olympic distance tri in New York in July.

The next couple of days I had to look around Austin before coming home.  Overall it was a great week-end.  I met some new friends, met some inspiring athletes, and experienced great Texan hospitality, particularly from Joe Paschall, who put about 12 Achilles team members up in house one night, and Andrew Smith, his guide, who had some people from Achilles over for a BBQ on our last night in town.