Décès de Jim Mc Laren

[Joel]

Ironmanlife: Hall of Fame Athlete Jim MacLaren Dies
Kevin Mackinnon reports on the passing of Jim MacLaren
Published Wednesday, September 1, 2010
As one of the first paratriathletes to complete the Ironman World Championship, Jim MacLaren inspired the world with his incredible determination and drive. The Ironman Hall of Fame inductee died on Monday night at the age of 47.

Hit by a New York City bus in 1985, the former lacrosse and football player lost his left leg below the knee. As a sign of his incredible drive and determination, he transformed his former football-player physique (6’ 5” and 300 pounds) to that of an endurance athlete. He would go on to finish the Ironman World Championship in 1989 in 12:13:50 (three years later he went 10:42:50) and the New York City Marathon in 3:16. All were records for amputee athletes.

At a race in 1993 MacLaren was hit by a van during another triathlon and was paralyzed. In order to help him Ironman Hall of Famer (and historian) Bob Babbitt and a group of MacLaren’s friends started a race to raise money. That event would eventually morph into the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which has raised millions of dollars for disabled athletes around the world. Thanks to that support, MacLaren would eventually overcome the odds once again and regain some motor function in his limbs. His story inspired a young man named Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah to ride his bike across Ghana to provide exposure for amputees – his efforts changed the mindset of an entire country and were documented in the movie Emmanuel’s Gift.

In addition to his induction into the Ironman Hall of Fame, MacLaren was given the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2005 Espy awards presentation

Originally from: http://ironman.com/columns/ironmanlife/ ... z0yMZrZu00