October 8, 2014

by: Emily Hastings

Team Alex

This week UCP of Greater Cleveland is happy to welcome Debbie from Team Alex as our guest blog contributor! Debbie and her son Alex completed the Cleveland Triathlon super sprint distance for the second year in a row. Debbie swam, biked and walked alongside Alex, who completed the triathlon with the help  of an adaptive bike and walker. Read on to hear why they were Inspired to TRI!

It’s July 27th at 4:30am and Alex and I pack up and head to E 9th Street for our second UCP Triathlon. We arrive to meet the other teams of family and friends sporting shirts with the same color and logo of their special child with cerebral palsy or other disability, and even one team supporting their memory of a special child. Many of the teams will split up the tasks of the triathlon into relays. As part of Team Alex, Alex and three others will complete the entire triathlon themselves. We are not there for the fastest times, but all of these special children will cross the finish line. They all win today. There is constant support throughout the events. What these children do today will inspire everyone in attendance. So much is accomplished on this one day, it’s overwhelming. These special children get to compete with athletes from around the world that also offer their support. A big thank-you goes out to the UCP staff for supporting and offering this opportunity for all of us to enjoy. Last year Alex and I were new and did not realize what we had become a part of, but this year we were able to become a bigger part of the togetherness of the UCP families. Alex has accomplished a lot of things in his life but this is by far the greatest day of his life because his family and friends come from as far away as Philadelphia to support him. This will become a yearly tradition that we look forward to in our lives.

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