EQUIPMENT NEEDS FOR PARATRIATHLON BASED ON CLASSIFICATION
athletes. Please keep in mind that each athlete is an individual with his or her own needs, wants, goals and abilities, and what works for one person may not work for another. Talking to other athletes, coaches, prosthetists and therapists will help you gain as much insight and information as possible so that you can best assist your athlete. Don’t be afraid to try a few things and then figure out what works best. Get creative and think outside the box when working on adaptations and modifications.
T
TRI 1: HANDCYCLE: PARAPLEGIC, QUADRIPLEGIC, POLIO, DOUBLE LEG AMPUTEE
These athletes use a handcycle for the
bike portion of the race. There are specific rules that govern the angle of the back rest, etc. for a handcycle. The main handcycle manufactures are quickie and Top End. TRI 1 athletes use a racing wheelchair for the run. The main suppliers for racing chairs are Eagle, quickie, Sportaid and Top End. Athletes can either sit on their legs or have their legs hang down and rest on a foot plate. Most of the racing chair athletes will want to use some sort of harness (hard molded) glove when pushing in the racer. A helmet must be worn when using the handcycle and racing wheelchair.
TRI 2: SEVERE LEG IMPAIRMENT: ABOVE-KNEE (AK) AMPUTEES
Athletes in this category would most
likely use a prosthetic on the bike. This leg would have a knee joint in it. A TRI 2 athlete has the choice to ride without any prosthetic. They would run with a different prosthetic leg. Some AK amputees choose to run with a knee joint in their running leg, but most run without one. These are customized prosthetics, and your athletes should work with a prosthetist who has experience with athletic prosthetics.
Janos Schmidt Continued on page 8 page 6 | PERFORMANCECOACHING
By Keri Schindler and Hailey Danisewicz
his article will outline the equipment needs and possibilities for the six classifications for paratriathlon
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