The unfortunate news this morning is that the Challenged Athletes Foundation office suffered a serious fire last night. No word on the cause or on the amount of the loss. At least from the initial reports, no one was injured.
If you’re not familiar with the Challenged Athletes Foundation, it’s one of those charities that continually reminds us that there is more to life than just training and racing; that the great part of life is breaking down barriers and helping others exceed their perceived ‘limitations’.
CAF has focused on helping people with disabilites that may not have the resources to participate in sports, the financial backing and equipment in order to do so. Want a “reality” check? Watch a guy with a leg prothesis run down Ali’i Drive in Kona during the Ironman, passing a bunch of two-legged triathletes. Makes all that self-centered whining we all occassionally do seem, well, uhm…like self-centered whining…
CAF has been a big part of my life; I owe my marriage to the fact that CAF athletes inspire people everyday to better themselves - all people, regardless of physical abilities.
I met my wife standing in line to check-in at the 2002 California Half Ironman in Oceanside, California. Although she blew me off, wouldn’t give me the time of day, much less a last name or phone number, our paths crossed again, and the rest, as they say, is history.
What does the Challenged Athletes Foundation have to do with that meeting? Laura was inspired to get into triathlons after watching a triathlonthat a friend was racing in and was amazed by the determination of one triathlete – Jeremy Newman , a paraplegic who literally crawled up a muddy boat ramp in order to get to the swim-bike transition area. After witnessing that feat of determination, she began her journey into the multi-sport lifestyle.
