By Martyn Sibley
Recently I headed to Lake Dorney in Windsor. There was a very cool triathlon event being held. It goes by the name of ‘Super Hero Series’. As the series founder Sophia Warner says, “Superhero Series aims to create fun, gutsy events where disabled people call the shots and don’t have to worry about cut-off times or equipment restrictions.”
I was kindly invited down by Barclays to experience and share the day with you. As I was driving from Cambridgeshire I could feel the excitement build up. I also had so many unanswered questions. How could people of all impairments swim, cycle and roll/stroll? Who would win? What other exhibitors would be there in the festival area?
Most of all I was looking forward to interviewing Paralympic champion David Weir! We had an hour set aside to film my pre-prepared questions. So as I drove around the M25 I was memorising my lines.
As soon as I arrived the fun hit me. Just going from the car park to meet David, I saw so much cool equipment. Prosthetic legs and arms, hand bikes, tandem bikes and accessible surf boards. Most of all I noticed people of all ages smiling, and preparing to either participate or cheer on loved ones.
There was areal buzz around the lake.
I then met the ‘weirwolf’ himself and we setup for the filming. It was apleasure to meet David Weir. To learn about his story. The ups and downs. The advice he’s passing onto other disabled people. The next challenges.
Regarding who won the races. Well you’ll be pleased to hear David and team Barclays won the celebrity Paralympic race! And congratulations to Sophia and her team. The day was definitely an outright success! I arrived home tired, but exhilarated. When you see people of all abilities taking part in a triathlon, you realise what is possible in the world. We just need big dreams, and collaborative action.