Wheelchair Track and Field: Road Racing

Athletes are an awesome segment of the population. The dedication, discipline, and determination of a serious competitor are unsurpassed. At great personal sacrifice, training is part of making sure the body is in peak condition for the next event. The life of a wheelchair athlete is no different, except for the added task of retraining various muscles to compensate for a physical disability. Wheelchair track and field, or road racing, is an excellent example of the perseverance and fortitude of disabled participants. Like all sports, wheelchair track and field, or wheelchair road racing, requires the proper equipment, physical training, and a love for competitive sports.

First, wheelchair road racing requires a specially designed racing chair. The chair has a sling for the paraplegic to literally fold into, instead of sitting in a seat. Consider the words of an Olympian wheelchair racer, found at this site, as he describes the chair and racing:

Exercise is especially important for paraplegics because they can no longer use their best aerobic equipment - their legs. That's one of the reasons I use a racing wheelchair. A marathon in a racing wheelchair really gives my heart the aerobic workout it needs. It keeps my weight down and my arm strength up for the extra work they now have to do. I also lift weights. In my spare time I work at a regular job and go to college. I graduate this spring. (2003) In the following pictures I have tried to give you an idea of how one type of racing wheelchair works.

I thought I would start off by showing you my racing wheelchair in motion. I'm going about thirteen miles per hour here and the photo is slightly blurred because of the motion. I'm also set to go around a sharp corner, so I am steering - not pushing!

A battery powered tire pump is a great convenience. Tire pressure needs to be checked frequently and the battery powered tire pump makes it easy to add air as needed.

You can use regular bicycle wheels if you want. The push rims are attached directly to the spokes, so the spokes need to be adjusted almost daily. This takes a lot of time and effort, so I don't use regular wheels.

I use carbon fiber tires. They cost around $1500 new. I was lucky and found some used ones for $450. Since the spokes are much sturdier, they don't get out of adjustment like regular spokes. The body of the racer comes without wheels and costs anywhere from one to three thousand dollars. Sometimes you can find a used racing wheelchair for a lot less.

There is a small front brake, which you can use to make skid marks on the pavement, but it doesn't stop the wheelchair quickly. You don't usually want to slow down in a racing wheelchair anyway so it doesn't matter much. You can see the Cateye Solar wireless computer that tells me my speed, mileage, and other data. It uses a magnetic pickup that wirelessly sends information from the front wheel to the computer.

To get into the racing wheelchair I tip it almost upright and put my feet into a nylon footrest. My knees will rest in the top part of the holder and my chest will rest on my knees. When my feet are in the right position I lean forward and the racing wheelchair tips down into its normal position. There is a Velcro strap that goes across my back. This keeps me from accidentally popping out of position. Pushing puts a considerable strain on my wrists, so I wrap them with tape. All racers wear special gloves. They cost around $50.00. The center "finger" holds three fingers and has a Velcro strap at the end. The glove has a very hard surface under your thumb and on the top of the middle fingers. That hard surface is what will make contact with the push rim. When you close your fist, the Velcro strap is wrapped around the base of your thumb and back around your wrist.

To move the racing wheelchair you press your glove against the push rim which is an aluminum tube covered with a small tire glued to the rim. Your thumb presses against the rim almost at the top. It keeps pressing against the rim pushing down and around the rim, almost making a complete circle. The more constant pressure you can exert on the rim, the more power you can transfer to the wheel. The glove stays in contact with that rim as long as possible.

Unlike regular bicycles, racing wheelchairs do not have gears. That means that it is very difficult to go up steep hills. Some hills are so steep you cannot exert enough pressure on the push rim to get up the hill. In these cases, you turn around and go up the hill backward pulling up on the tire itself - not the push rim. It may seem awkward, but sometimes it is the fastest way to go up a steep hill!

It isn't the strongest person who wins a race, it is the person who last the longest. Racing wheelchairs is a long endurance contest. You may not be the strongest person on the racecourse, but if you can keep pushing for long periods, you may just find yourself in first place.

Wheelchair racing is definitely not a less athletic version of an able-bodied race. Imagine building arm strength similar to leg muscles. The strength of wheelchair racers is enviable! Although the equipment has been modified, superb physical conditioning is comparable to any dedicated athlete. Only a true love for competitive sports will give a wheelchair racer the fortitude to compete.

Next article: How To Get Fit And Healthy In A Wheelchair