As part of my rehabilitation after losing my leg at the age of fourteen, my dad often took me swimming and it has been something I always enjoyed.  I have never been a competitive swimmer, only recreational.  Prior to relocating back home to Toledo in June 2000 I got back into swimming as a method to lose some weight that I had put on over time. 

After relocating to Toledo in mid-2000, and after my health insurance was active I went to visit Vern Swanson to get an updated and better fitting leg.  I was not disappointed.  After only one fitting session I had the greatest fit and most comfortable prosthesis I have ever had.  I wanted the old style “exoskeletal” leg that I have become accustomed to wearing.  This prosthesis is a heavier leg with little spring or bounce in the foot.  I like this type because I walk very well with this prosthesis.  

Shortly thereafter, in June 2001 Vern had invited me to attend a “fitness for everyone” clinic sponsored by Endolite that shows amputees (both above-the-knee “AK” and below-the-knee “BK”) how to run leg-over-leg.  The traditional method of running for most amputees is the hop-skip-hop.  I was very skeptical, as I had never seen an AK run leg-over-leg so I mainly went out of curiosity.  The clinic was proctored by Todd Schaffhauser (AK amputee) and Dennis Oehler (BK amputee).  To put it simply, these guys were truly amazing.  Todd holds the world record in the 100 meters of only 15.25 seconds attained at the 90’ World Championships in Assen, Holland and a time of 15.68 seconds at the 88’ Seoul Olympics.  Dennis competed in many events including the 88’ and 92’ paralympics with a world record time of 11.73 seconds in the 100 meters.  They showed us a variety of stump strengthening exercises and overall flexibility exercises to enhance the ability to run leg-over-leg.  It appeared as though I was doing well and already had many of the prerequisites to run so they used my as the guinea pig to demonstrate how quickly you can begin running leg-over-leg.  After getting over the sensation of both legs being off the ground at the same time, the key to running, I was able, although gingerly, to run.  Because my wooden leg was heavy it was hard to do but I practiced a bit hear and there and got stronger in the process.  The greatest benefit was being to run around in the back yard with my kids.   

It was not until the fall 2001 when I seriously began running after I got a lighter and more versatile prosthesis from Swanson.  I had some components from an old leg that did not fit anymore and Vern needed to do some R&D on a component he had created.  So he offered to use my old components and provide a socket.  The components were a Catech SNS (swing-n-stance) knee unit and a Reflex foot by Flexfoot.  The entire set-up weighs about 4 pounds less than my “everyday” prosthesis.  My children affectionately refer to this new prosthesis as the robot leg.  The thought of actually competing in a triathlon enter my mind after getting this new leg.   

During this time I still had been swimming and was able to swim, without much effort or fatigue, a mile in 45 minutes or less.  This is not that great when compared to elite triathletes who complete a one-mile swim in less than 20 minutes but not bad considering I have never been coached.  My pace for completing a mile swim would be considered a back-of-the-pack pace.   I hope in the near future I could get some coaching and technique refinement I could get my times down into the 25-30 minute range.  The overall key for me to begin my triathlon quest was to start running a lot.   

I was not sure if running long distances was possible but I knew short sprints were possible from Dennis and Todd.  I began walking briskly on a treadmill and then started running at a 15-minute mile pace.  The first time on the treadmill I could not even go 1/8 mile before my leg gave out from fatigue.  The next day my stump muscles were so sore that I could not even walk.  But I was jazzed!  After the soreness subsided a few days later I got back on the treadmill and kept pushing it with the plan of adding an additional 1/8 mile each week.  Around Christmas time 2001 (1 months after I started the treadmill work) I was able to run about ½ mile.  I then moved to the YMCA and began running in the gymnasium, as it would be easier to stop and go and alter the pace in the hopes of going farther distances.  I would take 21 laps of the gym to go one mile and I was determined to get there as fast as possible.  At this point I was not focusing on time at all, only distance.  I was running about 3 times a week along with swimming 3 times a week.  Since I viewed swimming as my strength I only kept up my distances on the swim and did not focus on the time.  I started running 7 laps and added a few more each week.  It took about a month or so and I was then up to go the full 21 laps without stopping and it took me about 15 minutes.  The soreness in the stump muscles became less and less.  The big problem was keeping down chaffing on the leg, which occurred if I did not pull the prosthesis on perfectly.  Also getting the perspiration out of the prosthesis caused me to stop every so often to let it out of the valve in order to keep a snug fit.  The longest I ran inside the gymnasium was one mile.  It became to difficult to count the laps, concentrate on form, and quit frankly I got dizzy running in circles.     

Fortunately spring was just around the corner and I moved my running outside to the Toledo Metroparks bike trail and a road near my house.  I was adding a ¼ mile each week to my runs and I wanted to quickly ramp up to 3 miles (5K) which was the distance I needed to complete the sprint distance triathlon.  With patience and persistence I was able to get up to 3 mile distance with a completion time of around 40 minutes (13 1/3 miles per minute) In May 2002 my triathlon training picked up its pace with the swimming, biking, and running.  I backed off on the swimming, as I only needed to swim 400 yards, which was typically only my warm up swim, and it should only take me 8-10 minutes to complete the swim.   

I then moved into the bike portion and it proved to be much more challenging than I anticipated.  This may partly be to the fact that I was using a cheap $100 mountain bike.  Most triathlon bikes can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $3,500 and more.  In addition to the heavy weight of the bike I had trouble with rubbing and chaffing the skin on my leg.  Again, the key to prevent this was getting the prosthesis on perfectly.  I biked as much as I could and started off with 3 miles and added a bit more distance each time I got on the bike.  I quickly reached 8 miles and then added the last five miles over a period of a month or so.  I could only go 13 mph and thus would complete the 13 miles in the race in about one hour.  

Although I could now do each of the distances individually it was time to prepare doing them all back-to-back. After some of the bike sessions I would try and run a bit to get my legs used to the sensation.  This was very hard at first but I became accustomed to it.  I never did bike immediately after swimming during my training, which I should have done.     

Race Day - August 1, 2002
Orlando Park - Sylvania, Ohio

This past August [2002] I completed my first sprint distance triathlon in Sylvania, Ohio in a moderately respectable time of 2:14.47, 13 seconds under my goal.  The race consisted of a 400-yard swim, a 13-mile bike and a 5K run (3.1 miles).  I made some critical rookie mistakes, but still finished under my goal.  I did not hydrate enough before the race.  I did not have a sock over my fake foot and was concerned about getting sand in the foot and thus slowed me down.  I did not drink water after the swim and caused me to get dehydrated on the bike.  I also could not find my Gu and Gel Packs for energy, which caused me to bonk on the run.  My official times were a 10:13 swim, a 1:03.41 bike and a 49.02 run (cumulative transition time of 11:53).  The adrenaline rush upon completion had me hooked.  I am now diligently working toward completing Olympic distance triathlons next year in less than three hours, which is a very challenging goal.  The Olympic distance triathlon consists of a 1.5K swim (0.93 miles), a 40K bike (24.8 miles) and a 10K run (6.2 miles).  My plan is to compete in the Sylvania Olympic Distance Triathlon in August 2003 and the Mini Deercreek Pineman (outside of Columbus) in September 2003. Prior to these triathlons, I will participate in varying distance Sprint triathlons in Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio next spring and summer and various road races (5K’s and 10K’s), as they are available. 

Select an image for a larger view
 

To learn more about Dave's accomplishments select one of the links below to read his journal and see photographs from the Triathlons he has participated in.

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