TWENTY-THREE years after becoming a quadriplegic and left without the use of his arms and legs, Victor Harbor man Sid James is on the verge of doing the impossible — the Hawaii Ironman.

He had the entry form for his first Ironman triathlon on the bench at home in 1993 but never got to fill it out after he fell from his bike and became a C3 quadriplegic.

But now the 58-year-old is preparing for the sport’s most gruelling test and at its holy grail in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Having qualified to race his fifth Hawaii Ironman next October, top Adelaide triathlete Kevin Fergusson has offered to take James with him — and by that he means literally every step of the journey.

The pair have applied to organisers to complete the gruelling event together in what is believed to be an Australian first.

That means Fergusson will swim 3.8km while towing James in an inflatable boat or kayak, then ride 180km with James in a chair attached to his bike, then run a 42.2km marathon while pushing James in a three-wheel chair.

“It would be a dream come true, that was going to be my pinnacle just to do one ironman when I was 35,” James said.

“I had my entry form to race in New South Wales on my table but I never got to fill it in.

“Now to go to Hawaii — I’d be over the moon.”

Fergusson, 57, is still one of the state’s top triathletes.

He is a 13-time world champion in his age group and last year completed the ‘Iron 5 for 55’ challenge which saw him race five Ironmans while raising $55,000 for cancer.

He’s done more than 30 Ironmans in total with a PB of 9hrs 2mins, and is a regular competitor at the Victor Harbor Triathlon which is organised and run by James.

“We’ve always talked about Hawaii and Sid contacted me to ask if I’d be his chaperone next year because he wanted to go and watch me race,” Fergusson said.

“I’ve known Sid for over 20 years, he’s made me a life member of the Victor Harbor Triathlon and has always looked after me, and I was honoured he wanted to watch me race.”

And that got Fergusson thinking.

The outdoor recreation lecturer with TAFE was in Hawaii in 2006 when Dick Hoyt finished the race with son Rick who has cerebral palsy.

“So I said to Sid ‘instead of watching me, why don’t you get a doctor’s clearance and do it with me?’” Fergusson said.

“You should have seen his eyes light up, it gave him a real spark and that’s what I get a buzz out of.”

Source
Herald Sun