When any form of set back arrives In your life you can either take it
as a conspiracy against you and your life is ruined or you can look for
the lesson and opportunity that appears
J.P. Theberge thought the gods were conspiring against him.
Now 11 years after losing his leg in a motorcycle accident, Theberge
can call himself a world champion.
A fourth-place finish in the leg-amputee division at the 2007 Triathlon World Championships in Hamburg, Germany was not good enough for him.
I really get really encouraged by stories such as this If you
read this blog you will see that I believe in how you face adversity
is the true measure of your championship rating, to be able to view
life as a continuing learning opportunity is the place that the majority
of winners come from, to be able to overcome obstacles that were
viewed as stepping stones to the ultimate goal.
This year in Vancouver, British Columbia. on June 7 Theberge tried
again for a world title, It was the third attempt at a world championship
for Theberge, who finished second in 2006 to Austrian Martin Falch in Switzerland.
But suffering an injury and to people who do not have a missing limb this
sounds weird “I just forgot I didn’t have my leg on,” he said,losing his
balance and landing on the bottom of his amputated right limb,
who called the pain it caused “hard to explain to an able-bodied person.”
Theberge admits is his weakest of the three disciplines is swimming,
but this year his swim did let him down Despite a slight hiccup in the transition
from the bike to the run, in which Theberge had trouble changing prostheses
the 36-year-old ran his fastest-ever 10K for a victory.
“I couldn’t believe it at first,” said Theberge, who was met at the finish line
by his wife and 2-year-old daughter. “It was just euphoric. It’s hard to describe.”
After being forced to switch prostheses using his everyday prosthesis,
which is not designed for running, just before the race because of the injury.
“It hurt like hell,”. “I was almost in tears. I said there’s no way I came all the
way down here and I’m not running.”.
“I would have tried anything,” he said. “That made it even more exciting when
I crossed the finish line.”
His time of two hours, 14 minutes was a personal best at the triathlon distance.
A time of 2.14 is a respectable time in anybodies money, remembering that in
transition it is not just the shoe you have to put on, but the leg as well.
I remember speaking to an Australian amputee competitor when I last competed
in the worlds and he had some quite humorous stories about trying to get his arm
into his limb prosthetic because of transition nerves
Theberge been an athlete all his life, but he didn’t start competing in running
events until after the accident.He began his racing career with a half marathon
at Camp Pendleton in 2002.
I did OK. It wasn’t impressive,” he said but that pretty much started it out.”
A year later his first triathlon, and now competes in events all over the country.
Theberge is dedicated to helping other amputees realize that their lives aren’t
over when they lose a limb. He recently completed a counseling certification
in order to provide help to military, as well as civilian, amputees.
“I try to give back as much as I can,” Theberge said. “I wish I could do more.
That’s what motivates me.
“I tell them, ‘Just because you lost your leg, it’s not the end of the world. You can let it defeat you, or you can let it motivate you.
What motivates Theberge are the goals he’s laid out for himself.
The triathlete said he’s determined to run a sub-three-hour marathon,
which is good for any runner.
“This summer at the Paralympics, which takes place in Beijing the week
following the Olympics, triathlon will not be on the agenda, despite the best
efforts of Theberge and others.
But if Theberge has anything to say about it, the triathlon will be an official
event in London in 2012. And it wouldn’t be a stretch to find the then-40-year-old
competing … and maybe even standing atop the award podium.
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