Para-triathlete Brant Garvey is on the road to Rio 2016
December 29, 2014 1:02pm
CLAIRE BICKERS
PerthNow
Albany’s Brant Garvey is the first Australian above-knee amputee to compete in an Ironman triathlon. He is now training for the 2016 paralympics, pictured at Trigg beach.
TWO years ago, Brant Garvey couldn’t run or ride a bike. Now the determined Albany man, a congenital above-knee amputee, has his sights set on competing as a triathlete at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. It’s the next step in a whirlwind journey for the 29-year-old who has not only learnt how to ride a bike and run over the past 20 months, but has competed in triathlons in London, Canada, and Japan.
He is now ranked fifth in the world for the paratriathlon PT2 class.
Garvey has also become the first Australian above-knee amputee to finish an Ironman — and he set a world-record doing it. He attributes his rapid progress to being willing to have a go, not being afraid of failing and his motto of “no excuses”.
“When I first started running, the very first time I tried to run along West Coast Highway my artificial leg flung off, bounced down the pathway,” Garvey said.
“I landed flat on my face”.“Two girls on bicycles, that had no idea how to react so didn’t say a word, just kept rolling past. “My wife burst out laughing and I had to go hunt down my dog”.
“But yeah, I just tried again”.
“When I started running it was literally like 10 metres was how far I got the first time.”
Garvey will be promoting this motto of perseverance and “no excuses” in his new role as a HBF ambassador. He will appear in an advertisement for their ‘healthy bodies can do amazing things’ campaign over the New Year period, inspiring others to achieve their goals with a never say die attitude.
His determination comes in part from wanting to prove he can do anything he sets his mind to, especially when others say he can’t.
It’s also a “little victory” every time he passes able-bodied people when he’s running a triathlon, Garvey says.
To ensure he won’t hit the snooze button on his training, Garvey will make himself accountable by telling people about his goals.
His other trick to keep himself slogging through when his artificial leg is rubbing his skin raw, jarring his spine, or inconveniently coming off during bike rides, is to remember the pain is only temporary.
“During the Ironman, I hit walls,” he said.
“At the 30km mark, my little toenail was no longer attached and I could feel it sliding around in my shoe every time I landed on my foot but to put it into perspective there’s always people that have much tougher situations out there than I do.” Garvey will continue to train 26 hours a week until Rio, fitting in a three sessions a day around his full-time job by waking up at 4:30am and heading to bed at 11pm. He will also take on six major championships over the next year to qualify.
A community of friends and sponsors, such as Total Marine Technology, helped raise the $20,000 Garvey required to buy the blade leg he needed for running. He hopes to raise enough to give him more time to train and recover as the Paralympics approach.
Even with the leg, Garvey says running is no easy feat for an above-knee amputee.
“When you’re a below-knee amputee you’ve got all those muscles to control the momentum of your leg so you can pull your leg backwards and forwards, while I rely on momentum of swing and hydraulics,” he said.
“I have to force my leg through which takes almost twice as much energy to run.”
Garvey hopes his story will inspire others to take on challenges they would previously have seen as impossible.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/special-features/lotterywestcommunityspirit/paratriathlete-brant-garvey-is-on-the-road-to-rio-2016/news-story/3c4e693861234a1c35a0ab6a5fff9694
