Parasport – Classification and All That…

So, after smashing through the 4 hour barrier at Sunday’s London Triathlon, I received a lot of questions.  Mostly about what it means.  And more poignantly, about where I will go from here.  Especially IF THINGS DO NOT GO AS PLANNED.

You see, in the world of parasport (sport for athletes with a challenge – signifying parallel not paralysed) classification means EVERYTHING. 

As I wrote about in December, THIS is the side of parasport that causes the most controversy.  Like when the intellectually challenged wheelchair basketball athletes from Spain were shown to have faked their challenge, thus throwing the whole inclusion of an intellectually challenged category in parasport into the spanner.  Or the fact that blind triathletes are now required to wear black out glasses in paratriathlon, which has led to a legal challenge in the US

Or this story about Tom Cole, a paraswimmer with Down’s Syndrome, who may not be able to compete in the 2012 London Paralympics because his current classification does not take into consideration the physical challenges that Down’s athletes face.

The classification system is imperfect.  It seeks to level the playing field for athletes, but in many cases it is simply impossible to assess and create equality.

And this is where I will start to answer the questions posed to me after Sunday.

So, you achieved a sub four hour triathlon, and you mentioned qualifying.  What did you qualify for, and what does this mean?

By breaking the four hour time in an Olympic distance triathlon, I have met the standard for participating in elite level paratriathlon events.  In the US, to race at the paratriathlon nationals, individuals need to have completed previous Olympic distance triathlons in less than four hours.  Participation in this year’s Hyde Park ITU elite paratriathlon race required athletes to be able to complete the sprint distance in less then two hours.

This means that I can now raise my hand and register for elite level paratriathlon events – including nationals – in 2012.  This is fantastic as it gives my plans focus and structure.

I didn’t realise you were a paratriathlete – you look so normal.

I have a neuromuscular disease called CMT (Charcot Marie Tooth, named after the three doctors that “discovered” the disease).  CMT is a progressive degenerative disease.  My variety means that the myelin sheath which covers my nerve is not made properly, so my nerve signals transmit slowly or are lost along the way.  Therefore my muscles do not get stimulated the right way, and atrophy.  Muscle atrophy tends to happen from the periphery (feet and hands) back to the core.  It is most noticeable in my feet, calves, hands and forearms.

Right now although I have received provisional classification as a paratriathlete, this has not yet been finalised as I need to be viewed in competition.  There were a few opportunities for me to do so in 2011 – for example the UK Paratriathlon National Championships in May.  But on that day I would have been straight off an over night flight, then travel for 3 more hours to the race, then race time – so I couldn’t do it.  I could have also been viewed in competition at this weekend’s Hyde Park triathlon, but I did not register for the race as it did not really fit my goals in July and August (2 Olympic distance triathlons to break the four hour barrier) and I had only hit the cut off time one time before, which made my registration a bit more tough.

So are you going to compete in paratriathlon next year?

That is my intention – today.  But a lot could happen. 

For example, if I am viewed in competition and re-tested using the Oxford Scale system for paratriathlon, it very well could be that I lose my classification as I may be getting too strong.  To classify as a paratriathlete a minimum level of impairment must be shown.  And my impairment was right on the borderline result.

And what if you lose your paratriathlon classification?

That’s always a risk. 

I set out to do triathlons as a way to get as fit and strong as possible so that one day, if I were to deteriorate due to my nerve disease, I would do so from a position of strength.  So paratriathlon was always an added motivation – not my primary objective.

One thing I have learned over the past few years is that with hard work I can redefine my limits.  So if paratriathlon disappears for me, that just means that I will keep working hard to be a middle of the pack triathlete.  And that I will keep doing triathlon because it’s fun.

And, as CMT is a progressive degenerative disease, as I said to my doctors on Thursday, if I lose my classification today, there is every chance that someday I will be a paratriathlete again.

So, I will keep going to keep going.  Because I can.  And because I enjoy it.  grin

3 responses to “Parasport – Classification and All That…”

  1. I love how you write and your perspective.  Whether a person is in the front, middle, or the back of a pack – they are ALL winners in my mind.

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