Posted: June 14, 2005

Triathlon: "Enabled," says amputee athlete competing at Philadelphia Triathlon

PHILADELPHIA (June 13, 2005) - A horrific car accident 15 years ago on the Pennsylvania Turnpike sent Denny Chipollini to the emergency room hoping to have his right foot and left leg re-attached to the rest of his body. Doctors saved only the foot, but he was changed in a way more profound than losing a limb.

"My car hydroplaned, and I lost control. It was going sideways down the roadway and knew I was going to hit something. There was a loud bang, glass, smoke, and then silence. I realized that I survived, my heart was beating, and I was OK," says the now-52-year-old personal trainer, of Oaks, near King of Prussia. His gory account of the steel, blood and detached anatomy is not for the faint-of-heart. "I was going to be dead in a couple of minutes. The only thing I could do at that point was use my mind," explains Chipollini. "I pictured myself in a hospital with a doctor working on it, and that got me through." Visualizing his survival, he says, slowed his heart rate and the resulting blood loss, and saved his life.

Since then, this below-the-knee amputee has jumped out of an airplane, bicycled across Pennsylvania, run marathons, and carried the Olympic and Paralympic torches, and on June 26th, will compete at the 1,400-person, inaugural Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park presented by Sorbothane Insoles (www.PhillyTri.com), a consecutive swim-bike-run race which benefits, in part, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's oncology department.

"This all came out of what most people call a disability, but I call it a gift. I wouldn't take back my leg for anything," says Chipollini. "I guess you could call me a 'challenged athlete,' if you have to, but the first time I felt challenged since I lost my leg was when I got in that pool two months ago (to start swimming laps). Now, even with the swim, I don't really feel challenged. My running, which I thought was my best sport of the three, feels like it might not be, as I've got some pain right now with my prosthetic, but I'll have it straightened out before the race." Certainly his two-a-day workouts are helping him prepare for the Philadelphia Triathlon, but the personal trainer swears on mind-over-matter.

"I visualize everything, even now, and it gets me through. When I do presentations at schools, I tell kids what I learned out on the road that morning. With this, you've accomplished something before you even get to the finish line," he says. "I've never done a triathlon and saw an opportunity here to do something I've always wanted to do. I visualize right now finishing each leg of the triathlon, it gets real easy, and I will just go out and do it. I'm not looking for any record times, but just to finish it and have a great time." It's sound advice for adults just the same, and could help many people across the finish line in Fairmount Park, but Chipollini's story does not end there.

His son, Nicholas, born the same year as his accident, was diagnosed at seven years old with neurofibramatosis, a complicated disease, and he suffers from Tourette and Asberger Syndromes as side effects of it. "We knew something was wrong, but didn't know what, and The Children's Hospital nailed it down," said Chipollini. "They've really monitored his conditions and symptoms. When he gets a headache, it could be a tumor, and they've kept the doubt out of there, because we continue to do MRI's and eye check-ups with his neurologist. She's always charting Nicholas and fine-tuning his medication, they help keep his life as close to normality as we can get."

Like his father, Nicholas has gotten his share of pedestrian stares, but he's also endured teasing and other unfair treatment from kids at school. Explains Chipollini, "I started an organization, Generation Hope, to change people's perception of people with handicaps or disabilities, teach them how to stop bullying and treating them differently, and how we can respect each other. If kids can treat each other with respect and friendship, they can change the world for the future years." He knows people will watch him at the Philadelphia Triathlon and be amazed by what the human will can achieve.

The Philadelphia Triathlon will feature many of the city's most historic and picturesque areas along its Olympic-distance course (1.5 km swim/40 km bike/10 km run). Approximately 1,400 amateurs will attack the challenging yet fun swim in the Schuylkill River, two-loop bike course winding through Fairmount Park and past Boathouse Row, and scenic run along the Art Museum loop.

Beneficiaries of the independent Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park (www.phillytri.com) include The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's division of oncology, Police Athletic League and Fairmount Park Commission. In addition to presenting sponsor Sorbothane Insoles, sponsors include the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Insurance, Cadence Cycling Performance Centers, Endless Pools, Triathlete Magazine, Wissahickon Mountain Spring Water, Penguin Sport Wash, Nathan Sports, Hammer Nutrition, New Balance, Philadelphia Runner, Tropicana, Fox Rothschild Attorneys at Law, Renaissance Marble and Granite, and Savran Benson Certified Public Accountants. To contact Denny Chipollini, for media information, sponsorship and expo sales, contact SLHCommunications, Inc., slhcomm@hotmail.com, tel. (310) 467-6865, or visit www.phillytri.com. For information on Generation Hope, visit www.genhopeusa.org.

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking second in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 430-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit www.chop.edu.