Wheels in motion for the first time
Cornwall man gives wheelchair racing strong push as organizers make event appeal to broader base
There seems to be a race for just about everybody during the Prince Edward Island BMO Nesbitt Burns Marathon weekend.
Participants can run a full marathon. They can run or walk half that distance.
A 10- k run or a 10- k walk is also an option as is running or walking just five kilometres.
But there is a specific group of people that had for years been left on the sidelines: people like Fraser MacPhee, who wheel rather than run or walk.
Familial spastic paraparesis, a degenerative spinal cord disorder, forced MacPhee, 42, of Cornwall to start using a wheelchair at age 30.
He used a hand cycle to ride along trails. He also used a hand cycle to get to work.
Participating in races, though, has proven a challenge over the years for the father of three.
He was the lone person on a hand cycle in an 86- kilometre bicycle race on P. E. I. in 2006.
The following year, he took part in the 10- k race portion of the marathon weekend in the province but he was once again the lone competitor in a race chair.
He was forced off to the side of the course and had to squeeze his way in.
This year, he finally was able to take part in a race suited specifically to wheelchair racers.
The wheelchair race category was introduced Sunday to allow for a broader base of inclusion and
There’s lots of changes that need to be made and this is one of them. I know there are people that want to do this ( wheelchair racing).
Fraser MacPhee of Cornwall who competed in marathon in wheelchair
an enhancement of the overall event, according to the event coordinator Myrtle Jenkins- Smith.
“We were really pleased to introduce this new category and we hope to see more and more participants in wheelchairs take part in coming years,’’ she said in a statement announcing the category.
Paul Cudmore is executive director of the Canadian Paraplegic Association P. E. I. that supports and promotes active living to improve the quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries and other mobility disabilities.
“We are so excited about P. E. I. Marathon’s inclusion of a start time for people who use racing chairs,’’ he said.
“This gives everyone in our community a chance to participate and promotes a healthy lifestyle to all segments of our population.’’
MacPhee calls the move a step in the right direction.
Still, he would like to see a full marathon wheelchair category in P. E. I. that serves as a Boston Marathon qualifier.
“There’s lots of changes that need to be made and this is one of them,’’ he said.
“I know there are people that want to do this ( wheelchair racing).’’
MacPhee took off from the starting line Sunday morning just a short time before the running/ walking pack that was competing in a variety of categories.
He was impressed by the reception he received rolling along in his race chair as the lone competitor this year in the new category.
“There was lots of support through the race,’’ he said.
MacPhee is quick to note one particularly strong source of assistance that allows him to train and race.
“My loving wife picks up the slack so I can practice,’’ he said.
MacPhee notes he was racing Sunday in an expensive race chair on loan from N. B. Athletics. He gave a special nod to director Gabe Leblanc for his help.
MacPhee says he simply likes the way it feels to train and race. “There’s adrenaline,’’ he said. “When I’m training, I’m stronger. It makes my every day life easier. It just makes me feel better.’’