Everyone deserves opportunities to live a quality life.
Often it requires thinking in new ways.

Not all great journeys begin with a strong and clear picture of the final destination. Sometimes people begin a journey with only a nearby destination in mind. But once they step into the road, they get a clearer view of the possibilities unseen before the start of the journey. And the farther they travel, the farther they see their journey can take them. This is the way it has been with Talmadge Atkins and his mother, Georgia, with their participation in triathlon.

Talmadge is a 25-year-old young man who has a complex seizure disorder, complicated with neurological problems diagnosed as cerebral palsy. As a result, he has poor motor skills and lack of coordination.

Talmadge has always loved the water. His long-time swim teacher has been Julie Swail Ertel, Olympic Silver Medalist in Water Polo, Sydney 2000. After the Olympics, Julie retired from water polo and switched to triathlon. With the inspiration of a father/son triathlon team, Dick and Rick Hoyt, plus the “You can do it!” attitude of Julie, and the support from Talmadge’s family (Dad Ted and sister Eleanor), Talmadge participated in his first triathlon in 2003, completing just the swim portion, a distance of ½ mile. The next season, Matt Miller of CDifferent Foundation raced an entire triathlon with Talmadge. We began to build a circle of support as more people wanted to volunteer to support Talmadge. A phenomenon we had already observed in our lives was happening in triathlon, too. It is that people with disabilities are gifted with the power to affect people in ways that people without disabilities cannot.

Triathlon has transformed Talmadge’s life. He has participated in over 30 triathlons with support from his mother and assistance from family and wonderful, energetic volunteer athletes who race and train with him. Talmadge does the swim independently with someone close in the water. The bike is performed on a tandem recumbent bicycle. And the run is accomplished with Talmadge in a jogger until a short distance before the finish, which he completes running with support. His strength and coordination are incredibly improved. He enjoys the competitive activities, and his quality of life is excellent.

Beyond what triathlon has done for Talmadge, his participation has inspired many other triathlon competitors, as well as countless spectators. His gift is the message, “If I can do it, so can you.” Regularly, competitors ask to have their picture taken with Talmadge. His achievements have endeared him to the press, with articles and photos about him appearing in local papers.

The hope is for Talmadge to continue to inspire other people, those with and without challenges, to live healthy, active, and challenging lives.