Read about Sean Grundy's experience training and racing as a Welsh paratriathlete
In just two years the first ever Paralympic paratriathlon will be taking place in Rio. Interest in the paratriathlon is really starting to mount and the sport has seen a massive increase in participation recently, not just by potential paralympic hopefuls but also by disabled people of all ages and abilities. Paratriathlon appeals to those disabled individuals who want a new challenge and enjoy the fun and reward training for a multisport event brings.
The sport has never been so accessible with most triathlon events welcoming entry by disabled athletes (when suitable). Paratriathlon specific events have taken place all over the UK, including a super sprint distance aimed at novices and held in Blackpool, a sprint distance paratriathlon in Llanelli and culminating with the British Paratriathlon Championships, this year held at Liverpool's iconic dockside area.
Read about the experience of one of Welsh Triathlon’s paratriathletes, Sean Grundy;
Here is where I come in, a partially sighted (PT5) athlete from North Wales and my new guide Sam Webster from South Wales. Our first race together, and Sams first race as a guide, will be at the British Paratriathlon Championships on August 10th 2014. This has meant a rather enjoyable weekend spent on the Gower meeting Sam and getting him used to the tandem and tethering systems used during the race.
Guiding is actually a lot easier than it may seem. The only really important requirement is for the guide to be a sufficiently faster runner than the disabled athlete so that he can give out verbal directions during the run. Competing with a guide changes the individual nature of triathlon into very much a team sport, with great camaraderie and a lot more fun.
Anyone who is comfortable on a solo bike will almost certainly be confident on a tandem after couple of rides. The only difficult part to tandem riding is starting off. Both sets of pedals are in sync and so both riders have to synchronise their start and clipping in technique. This always takes a few goes and some red faces if onlookers are present. Sam had just a little wobble on the first start and after that we were flying. He seemed to have no problem with handling the tandem, even round sharp bends where the tandem can't keep as tight a line as a solo bike.
The trickiest section of the paratriathlon is probably the tethered swim. We swim side by side connected just above the knee by a short length of bungee cord. I really can't see much in the water other than my guide's hat, which is very disorientating not knowing where I am or where we're heading. I just have to keep swimming and put all my trust in my guide. Trying it out with Sam on a warm sunny evening at one of the many beautiful Gower beaches went very well. He picked it up very easily, including coming up with a signalling system involving hitting me on the back to let me know it's time to turn.
Transitions are similar to usual, although if you forget to detach the tether before peeling down the wet suit you can get into quite a mess.
The easiest leg, from a guiding point of view, is the run, were we both hold a short tether. I run flat out trying to keep the vomit down while Sam calls out directions, warns of any un-evenness in road surface, or idly chats about interesting landmarks we're passing. The only issue can come from the guide's natural instinct to pick up the pace, which can lead to pulling and an unwanted time penalty.
Having had a couple of hours on the bike and a few kilometres in the water with Sam, I think we'll put in a good performance and have a good time in Liverpool and most importantly have a safe race.
Finally, without guides and helpers/handlers disabled athletes would not be able to take part in this fantastic sport of triathlon. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my guides, Oggy East, Paul Rogers, Dafydd Williams, Ben Findlay, Owen Mitchell and Sam Webster, and all those others who have helped me and my fellow athletes enabling us to take part. Thanks!
Sean Grundy
If you’ve been inspired by Sean’s story and want to know how to get involved with paratriathlon please contact the Welsh Triathlon team by emailing admin@welshtriathlon.org or call during office hours 0300 300 3128.
