Posted: June 30, 2005

Triathlon: Amputee finishes third annual Ford Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene

BOULDER, COLO—Paul Martin (Broomfield, Colo.), a 38-year-old leg amputee patient, finished the 2005 Ford Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene on June 26 with an overall time of ten hours, nine minutes and 17 seconds.

Doctors were forced to amputate Martin’s left leg four inches below the knee, after he suffered injuries in a car accident 12 years ago.

“The amputation wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” Martin said. “I didn’t learn as much about myself as I did about the human spirit and what it can do to come out on top.”

Martin was recently nominated for an ESPY award in the category of “Athlete with a Disability” for his success in the 2004 Paralympic games. Martin won one silver and one bronze medal in cycling at the 2004 games.

The ESPYs will be held on July 13 in Las Angeles, Calif., and Martin will compete with Rudy Garcia-Tolson and Marlon Shirley for the award.

Garcia-Tolson set the men’s world record in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2004 Paralympic games, and Shirley won one gold (100m), one silver (200m) and one bronze medal (long jump) at the 2004 Paralympic games.

Past winners of the award include Erik Weihenmayer (2002), Shirley (2003) and Cheri Blauwet (2004)

1,761 triathletes from around the world competed in the Ford Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene. Athletes competed for 80 qualifying spots to the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, as well as a $50,000 men’s pro prize purse.