To say Talmadge loves the water and being outdoors is an understatement. If he is indoors, he stands at the window and looks out. He has been an independent swimmer since the age of 6. Considering his physical challenges, this skill alone is remarkable. He never turns down an opportunity to swim.

As Talmadge’s mother, I am always looking for opportunities for him to do things that other people his age are doing. Most of the time it is extremely difficult to find these opportunities. With triathlon, however, the unlikely scenario of Talmadge competing has become routine. I don’t know what it is about triathlon. Maybe it’s because triathlon is a relatively new sport and preconceived ideas about the sport are not ingrained in our culture. People of all ages and abilities are participating.

Talmadge has taken swim lessons from Julie Swail for over 8 years. Julie used to be a water polo player and was captain of USA Women’s National Team when it won a Silver Medal in the Sydney Olympics in 2000. We knew Julie before she won her medal. After the Olympics, Julie did a triathlon just for fun. Ultimately, she switched sports and has become one of the top-ranked professional triathletes in the world.

Julie doesn’t have barriers in her mind about why something cannot be done. She has ideas about how to get things done.

Another inspiration was Team Hoyt (www.teamhoyt.com). Many years ago, my husband Ted brought home a 5-minute news video about Dick Hoyt and his son Rick competing as a team in Hawaii Ironman. Rick has paraplegia. At the time, we didn’t know what a triathlon was. We watched the video over and over, crying almost every time we saw it. Dick completes the swim portion towing Rick in a dinghy haltered to his back, rides a bike with Rick sitting on the front, and runs with Rick in a jogger. (Their modes of transportation have changed through the years.) From what I’ve read, Rick is his father’s driving force because Rick loves participating in triathlon.

It was time for us to see a triathlon first-hand. Talmadge and I went to Newport Beach Triathlon in July 2003 to watch Julie compete. We had to get up before dawn, which was a challenge in itself! Once we got there, Talmadge used his wheelchair. To get to the water’s edge, we had to go down a long flight of steps on a steep bluff. Several of the athletes offered to carry the wheelchair down the steps, which I graciously accepted. When the swim was over, we were faced with the steep bluff once again. The lifeguards in their pick-up truck noticed that we needed help and volunteered to give us a ride. Never before had we been surrounded by so many helpful people—and so many strong athletes! Later one of the volunteers gave Talmadge an orange volunteer T-shirt—in his size.

The next step was to participate in a triathlon. We entered TriEvents Bonelli Steamboat Triathlon (www.trievents.com) in October 2003. Julie agreed to join us, making it a three-person team. We bought wetsuits for Talmadge and me one week before the race. My husband was out of town on business, but Talmadge’s 16-year-old sister Eleanor agreed to accompany us for moral support (and to take a few pictures). Although Talmadge is an independent swimmer, swimming with his head out of water, he needs assistance to navigate the course. Julie planned to swim with him, and I swam with them because I wanted to see what it was like. The distance was a half-mile. Talmadge had never swum that far. I didn’t really think he could do it, but Julie did. He did it, of course. As he exited the water, people on the shore were cheering. He was beaming. After the race, people came and congratulated him. One of those people was Rudy Garcia-Tolson (www.challengedathletes.org/athletes_stories/Rudy_Garcia.htm) along with his mentor, Terry Martin (who is also a sports photographer).

A month after Bonelli, our whole family went to watch Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) San Diego Triathlon Challenge (www.challengedathletes.org). This race in La Jolla Cove is a half-Ironman. Challenged athletes, professional athletes, celebrities, and many others participate. What I saw there in great measure was the celebration of the human spirit and defiance of societal expectations. It was at this event that we met the Hoyts for the first time.

I kept thinking about how CAF helps individual athletes. I decided to call and ask if CAF could refer us to someone to train and race with Talmadge. One day after the call to CAF, Matt Miller from CDifferent Foundation (www.cdifferent.org) called to see if he could help. Matt lived in Los Angeles, albeit across town, and was willing to help. I could not believe what was happening in our lives.

We had to figure out how we were going to cycle and run with Talmadge. He had a 3-wheel tandem, which Matt suggested outfitting with “granny gears” and “slicks.” I looked all over Los Angeles and the Internet for fat slicks—to no avail. We carted the 3-wheeler on a rickety bike rack to several bike shops, some of which were quite unwilling to look at the unusual tandem and turned us away. Finally, a local bike builder, Stan Bartilet, offered to make a house call, took one look at the 3-wheeler, and said what he thought we needed was a 27-speed tandem recumbent. The recumbent featured a low center of gravity and wide seats with backs. We bought one and added a seat belt and Velcro footplates. (Later we bought cycling shoes and clips.)

Although Talmadge can walk, his balance and gait don’t allow him to run very far; therefore, we decided we needed a jogger for the run. We found a Kool Stop jogger (www.koolstop.com); the manufacturer was located in a neighboring town. Kool Stop sold us its Special Needs Jogger (accommodates 150 lbs.) at a special price and has since maintained it for us. We had our equipment, and Talmadge was ready to race, as long as he had a guide. Matt volunteered to race with him on the first Bonelli race of the next year, April 2004.

It is hard to put into words how we feel about people like Julie and Matt, people who have dramatically changed our lives in such a profound and wonderful way. They gave us the greatest gift by showing us that there are athletes wanting to give their time to be guides for other athletes. Our world was formerly one of family and/or paid providers. We were now in a world of friends and volunteer athletes who enjoy the same sports Talmadge enjoys.