Paratriathlon continues to break down barriers, with Sunday’s Accenture USA Triathlon Paratriathlon National Championships attracting 53 athletes – the most ever at a paratriathlon event worldwide.

Every athlete completing the course under 4 hours qualified for the World Championships in Australia later this season.

The sport of partriathlon, formerly referred to as physically challenged triathlon, is striving to be on the world stage by the 2016 Olympic Games. What the International Paralympic Committee is looking for in a potential Paralympic sport, according to USAT Paratriathlon Committee Chair Jon Beeson, is the three R’s – records, results and races. Sunday’s event had a little bit of everything.

“These are athletes who want to win in the worst way,” Beeson said. “They’re not finishers. They’re not participants. They’re battling it out.”

Aaron Scheidies, a visually impaired athlete, continues to show that he is not only at the top of his class in paratriathlon, but also is competitive with the top able-bodied athletes in the sport. Scheidies won his class with a time of 2 hours, 2 minutes, 15 seconds, in the 1.5 swim, 40k bike and 10k run event that consisted of a swim in the Hudson River, biking on Westside Highway and running through Central Park. Scheidies holds the paratriathlon world record at 1:58:26….(continued)

Source for complete article: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/pace-of-chicago/2009/07/paratriathletes-shine-at-national-championship.html