Thursday, 10 February 2011 17:05
Disabled triathlete tackles 3km/200km/20km format
Abu Dhabi, February 10, 2011: Next month’s Abu Dhabi International Triathlon will be contested by one of the world’s most high profile athletes with a disability, Jason Lester.
The American, whose right arm is completely paralysed as result of being hit by a car as a young boy, will compete in the event organised by Abu Dhabi Tourist Authority (ADTA) on March 12. He will compete in the professional 3km swim, followed by a 200km bike ride before the 20km run finish.
Lester, who is seen as one of America’s most inspiring sports stars, said, “I can’t wait to get to Abu Dhabi because everyone I know who went there last year for the very first race has told me it was phenomenal. I want to see for myself what all the fuss is about.
“This will be my first race in the Middle East, a region which is new to me, which makes it even more special.
“There is a tremendous field of top athletes, which says a lot about an event which has only been held once before.”
Although doctors recently discovered muscle movement in his injured arm, the 36-year-old swims with only his left, using his legs far more than his fellow competitors that requires more work and energy. On the bike, he uses Velcro to keep his right arm attached to a bar.
Jason’s life changed forever in 1987 on Halloween, when, as a 12 year old schoolboy, he was hospitalised for three months with 21 broken bones, a punctured lung and a right arm which no longer worked after a driver ran a red light and smashed into him.
Shortly after the accident, which almost took his life, Lester’s father and sole custodian Charles suffered a fatal heart attack.
However, Lester never gave up on his goal of becoming one of the world’s best endurance athletes and refused to let the fact he couldn’t move his right arm hinder him.
“Of all the 1,500 who will flock to Abu Dhabi in March, this is one man who surely stands out from the crowd,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, ADTA. “Jason will be an inspiration to many – those taking part and the hundreds who will line the route to cheer him and other competitors on.”
Jason says he has been in intense training for the Abu Dhabi event and feels confident of putting on a sterling performance.
“My training has gone well so I feel good about what I can achieve in Abu Dhabi,” he said. “I know my own story is quite amazing and the one thing I always have to tell people is that none of it is made up or even fabricated.
“There were some difficult times, but I wouldn’t change anything. I wasn’t going to allow what happened to me stop my goals.
“I take every day as a challenge and I love challenges. Everything happens for a reason and I hope that in some way I can inspire people, particularly young people. We all have a gift. It’s completely up to us how we use it.
“I was into athletics before the accident and the loss of the use of my arm wasn’t going to stop me. I was into Biathlons, just running and cycling, which were really big in the early 1990s.
“I forgot all about swimming because of my arm. I didn’t think I would be able to do it. However, when I visited Hawaii to see the Ironman World Championship, I knew that’s what I was born to do.
“I swim by powering my legs through the water, which the other guys don’t do. They hardly use their legs, so it does take a lot out of me.
“The first 3km swim I did was a real test. There is a time limit of 2hrs 30m which I set out to beat – I came out of the water at 1hr 40m.”
Jason has raced in the last three Ironman World Championships and will take part in an incredible event in Hawaii later this year; five Ironman races, on five consecutive days on five different islands.
“That is going to be a really fun event;” he said. “As I say, I like a challenge.”
Jason will get the chance to test his swimming technique in front of Abu Dhabi’s landmark Emirates Palace hotel, before he jumps onto his bike which he will guide through the capital’s streets and around the stunning Yas Marina Circuit – home to the annual F1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The race ends with a run that finishes on Abu Dhabi’s signature Corniche.
Winners of both the male and female professional races will each receive a prize of $5,000 (Dh18,300) from the $250,000 (Dh918,000) purse.
The shorter version, at half the length, has a 1.5km swim, a 100km cycle and a 10km run. There is also the sprint distance, which comprises a 750m swim, 50km bike and 5kms run. There is also the option of entering the shorter distance with a team of three, each one taking a specific discipline.
For more information please go to www.abudhabitriathlon.com
The Route
This year’s opening swim leg takes place in the lagoon of the iconic Emirates Palace, one of the world’s most luxurious hotels. The cycling section will take athletes past some of the destination’s top sights along Abu Dhabi’s signature Corniche - all under the safety of completely closed roads.
The route will then go east of the city over Saadiyat Island, the 27 square kilometre natural island which is 500 metres offshore Abu Dhabi city, and on to the destination’s emerging entertainment hub of Yas Island - home to the highly successful 2010 Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – where triathletes will compete on the same circuit as many of the world’s top race drivers.
It then concludes with a running leg around the Heritage Village and ends on the sweeping Corniche.
Add comment
