A paralympian’s saga
One of the more than 1,000 participants in the Aviva Bintan Triathlon 2007 held on May 26 and 27 at the Bintan Lagoon Resort in
Burns, who was diagnosed with polio at the age of 10 months, did not allow the disease to, as stated in his short biography, darken the colors of his life or palette.
Burns has spoken before audiences of up to 3,500 to share his experiences and message which basically revolve around inspiring people to achieve their goals and be the best they can be in their respective fields. With his saga of overcoming trials and tribulations that came his way in capturing a half dozen gold and silver medals at the Barcelona and Atlanta Paralympics, Burns encourages listeners to look within themselves and adopt a winning attitude for dealing with life’s challenges.
He is one of very few persons where art and sports meet. It has been said that Burns proves daily that sports and art can co-exist at the highest levels. Burns is a world champion swimmer who has won gold medals and broke world records in the 1998, 2002 and 2004 Paralympic Games.
Art critics and enthusiasts consider Burns a world-class contemporary artist. It is in sports however where the saga of Burns’s struggles and his embracing pain to eventually overcome it becomes quite dramatic. Following is his personal account of his participation in the Aviva Bintan Triathlon 2007.
“So it was to be an Olympic distance triathlon meaning 1.5 km ocean swim, a 40 km bike ride followed by a 10 km run. Weather looked promising at the start of the swim and the mass of 500 plus bodies plowed their way into the sea and waves.
“Starting in the water as I did, I was so surprised to be passed by the pro athletes immediately. They buzzed by and the pack caught up with me soon after. Weaving my through the swimmers avoiding the occasional thrasher, I made fair time and finished the swim in about 20 minutes. With the support of two seconded local firemen swept me off the beach and back to transition.
“From here we all headed into the bike ride which thankfully had only a handful of steep inclines. Mother Nature decided to challenge us a bit more and brought monsoon rains and winds for us to battle. Despite the water and hills, I managed to finish the bike in 100 minutes. But then my real challenge loomed before me.
“The run through the golf course along the buggy path offered four major inclines with grades of up 12 percent. My racing wheelchair, being very good on flat roads, reared up and complained that the steep windy path was less than manageable. Moving slowly through the course, I managed to navigate the mud and sand but the combination of this and the leftover rain made the run very trying and somewhat dangerous as I could not manage to control the chair on the down hills and at one time veered off of the path and into the golf course and bounced off a tree. Thankfully, nothing was broken.
“Due to the steepness of the inclines, I was forced to go backwards up the hills. This took much extra time but at least I could reach the top, however slowly. After cresting the final hill, the front tire of my chair exploded. Heading to the transition area to change the tire, my right tire blew up as well. Fortunately I did have one of each with me. Then after spending half an hour trying to fix both, I discovered much to my dismay that both spares were faulty. Left with no other choice, I thought to complete the second five kms of the run on my crutches and braces.
“But all this was far away in our room and I had no key. With the cut off time for the final lap approaching, I jumped onto my bike and was given permission by the race organizers to carry on. I sped off for the final loop. But on the first hill, my chain derailed. Fortunately, this was the final cock up for the day and I crossed the finish line in just a tad over four hours. A much shorter race than the Ironman, I did not end up in the hospital.
“My body held out and I trust I will be no worse for ware in the morning.”
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