handcycle Archives - rob balucas

Kona IRONMAN World Championships | Race Recap

A week goes by really fast. Wow. A week ago I was in the race. I’m back home after an amazing time in Kona.

What happened…

(I didn’t make it to the finish line)

I honestly don’t know what happened.

I had a decent swim by my standards.. It was tough, really tough. Gauging from how everyone else described their swim, mine was equally challenging.

My transition wasn’t great, but at least I had everything with me that I needed.

There’s a period for the first few miles of the bike where your body is still in transition from one sport to the next and you’re just trying to find your rhythm and settle in.

I just never found that place … for the next 9.5 hours.

Somewhere in the first 10 miles my chain came out of my rear derailleur and got jammed while I was going 30+ mph on a wonderful downhill.

I had to stop, get some help, dig into my flat kit for my chain breaker, break the chain, fix the problem, reconnect the chain, and then pack up my flat kit. That cost valuable time.

And then after that, I just couldn’t find the sweet spot. I couldn’t maintain the watts (power) necessary to make the bike cutoff. My chain derailed twice more. I missed it by a whopping 75+ minutes.

Did I not drink enough water? All the locals say this year it was way more humid than usual. My paralyzed body is very affected by weather and I don’t like to admit it. My neuropathic pain jumps through the roof when the weather shifts. I still don’t believe it when it happens.

I knew at the midway point at Hawi (mile 60) I wasn’t going to make it back in time. The speed I’d have to maintain wasn’t possible given I had to go right back where I came from through the same rolling elevation and climate.

It became about not quitting. It became about getting ‘home’, on my own power, whether I get to keep going on or not.

At a certain point it was almost doubtful I’d make it back before sundown. But I did.

I could go on and on. One of the other handcyclists here didn’t finish his first Kona IMWC (this year was his 5th). Carlos Moleda, a legend of IMWC and 5-time Champion didn’t finish his first either.

Many have said this just fuels you for the next one. And that might be true at some point.

The thing for me is: I don’t know that I have this level of training in me again. I’ve said before how incredibly intense the training has to be. It has come at the cost of every other part of my life. Anyone who’s been in the orbit of someone training for an IRONMAN knows this fact.

My business has suffered. My relationship and our home has taken lower priority.

It comes at significant financial cost. Many have supported me in this and I don’t want to keep asking for that support.

AND .. I hate that this will be the story if I stop here. I had a DNF in Kona. I had a DNF at the 2019 IM 70.3 World Championships in France. That track record sucks. And I hate that it’s mine right now.

I know there is a lot more in this than that. I know that there’s a victory in just getting to the starting line. I know there’s a lot of value in the journey to get there.

But I didn’t put in all this work just to show up. I didn’t work this hard for years to just get out there.

I didn’t also didn’t do it to win.

I did it for what I thought was very reasonable for me, my athletic ability, and resources.

I just wanted to cross the finish line.

I wanted to hear, “You are an IRONMAN” from Mike Reilly even if I was the last person.

Sure there will be more paratriathlon in my future. Shorter distance stuff for fun and staying fit. But my track record on the big races will be DNF. And that fucking sucks.

But let’s be honest. It’s a blessed life. To have a partner in Erika who supports this journey. To have a community – a tribe – who support me as you have. There’s so much to be grateful for; and I most certainly am.

One of my favorite books speaks of “Finding your edge, and not faking not.”

I found my edge that day. I did the best I possibly could in punishing conditions at the biggest stage in triathlon.

As much as I wish it did, it did not happen any other way.

Rob Balucas: 2022 Breakfast with Bob from Kona

Rob Balucas was an accomplished age-group triathlete, preparing for his first 70.3 when he crashed on his bike during a training ride in 2015 and was paralyzed. It’s been a long journey, but he is finally here in Kona ready to take on the Ironman World Championship.

Our 11th year of Breakfast with Bob from Kona is brought to you by Master Spas, SFuels, HOKA, Zoot, FORM Smart Swim Goggles, Quintanaroo, Zoot, and our @Challenged Athletes Foundation

Wheels Down in Kona

It’s happening. It’s really, really happening this time.

We are wheels down in Kona. All the bags are here.

Saturday was about getting in and getting the handcycle and race chair put together and making sure everything was intact. My battery-powered tire pump bricked on the second of 6 tires needing air. But nothing a quick trip to Lowe’s couldn’t remedy.

Today, Sunday, was an early morning swim for Erika; a nice post swim actual ‘breakfast with Bob’ and Heidi Babbitt, Aussie Paralympic silver medalist Lauren Parker and her Mum and her coach; then back to our place for lunch with family and pumping up tires.

It’s warm. It’s humid. I vascilate between excitement, zen, being present, and all all out imposter syndrome anxiousness .. on a moment to moment basis.

One of the IRONMAN staff said, ”If I wasn’t going through these waves, it would mean I’m a sociopath.”

He’s got a point. This is a big deal and that rollercoaster is only human. … I once heard a great TEDx talk about surrender …

But I’m ready. I have faith in my training. I’ve had the benefit of an additional year of training because of last year’s race postponement. For those who know, my VO2 max is double what it was when we started measuring 4 years ago. So at age 45, I’m the most fit I have ever been.

For those who’ve been asking, here’s how to track me:
(There are text links throughout this info to go direct to the spots)

105 is my bib number.

There is an IRONMAN app where you can track my progress.

The race is this Thursday.
I’m scheduled to start at 6:27am local time / 9:27am Pacific

There is Facebook / YouTube coverage of the women pros that day and we start right after they do. So there’s a small chance you might catch us in the coverage.

After the pro race, the coverage turns into a single stream of the finish line. My goal is to finish between 8pm and 9pm local time … so you might catch my 15 seconds of fame there.

Of course you can find my updates on Facebook and Instagram. I think you might be able to view my posts on Instagram even if you don’t have an account.

On Tues at 8:15am local time / 11:15am Pacific, I’m going to be interviewed again on Breakfast with Bob, live on YouTube. Bob Babbitt is the hall of fame ambassador for the sport of triathlon. He interviews all the professional condenders leading up to the race .. and me!

Wear your #teambalucas shirt this week? 🙏🏽

Here’s also something I would love: do you have your #teambalucas shirt from 2016? Would you post a picture of it this week? I would love to continue to make the statement “You Create Your LIfe” this week as I hit the climax of this story.

For those who got #teambalucas wine, it is in production! The bottles are being labeled this week. I am excited to be sending this to you. It’s legitimately amazing Cab too. If you know the Housley’s, you know how special and amazing they are. I’m incredibly grateful for their support and friendship.

Thank you to everyone who contributed. It takes a lot of resources to pursue this goal. I don’t like asking. But not coming out the other side in debt takes a big piece of the stress out of the equation. For that I am VERY, VERY grateful.

More to come … stay tuned …

Angel City Sports Takes Annual Adaptive Sporting Event Virtual

By Kristen Lago Los Angeles
PUBLISHED 12:19 PM ET Jul. 17, 2020

LOS ANGELES – Every summer for the last five years, hundreds of athletes have descended upon the UCLA campus for an adaptive sports event.

Dubbed the Angel City Games, the four-day festival is the signature event for Angel City Sports — a chance for the adaptive sports community to come together and network in a unique and fun way.

This year though, much like many other live sporting events around the globe, the Angel City Games fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic.

But rather than cancel it completely, founder Clayton Frech took a cue from his athletes and adapted.

“Our community tends to already feel and probably be socially isolated and so now, we felt we needed to do something big, special and kinda flashy to bring the community together,” Frech said.

He decided to take the games from UCLA and bring them online.

In a time that’s been so difficult for so many, Frech believed it was important to give his community something to look forward to.

“It’s really the soul of the organization, it’s such a huge part of what we do all year long,” Frech said.

And his athletes are grateful for the opportunity.

Rob Balucas is one of hundreds who will participate over the three week online event. Through his injury, he’s learned to make the best of every situation.

“Getting injured later in life, I knew that the sun was going to come up and the sun was going to come down and I could either waste it lamenting my situation or I could do the best with what I have and just go for it,” he said.

He’s taken that mentality and altered it to the situation he’s now in. The pandemic is something out of his control, but he can choose to take advantage of the virtual event.

“When you’re forced into something you don’t want, but you have to deal with, that’s our game,” Balucas said with a laugh. “To give people a framework to do that stuff through the games is an awesome asset to play together.”

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West Hills paraplegic sets his sights on Ironman championship

A training disaster left Rob Balucas a paraplegic. But it did not end his desire to compete — now, as a para-athlete, in triathlons.

West Hills paraplegic sets his sights on Ironman championship https://t.co/5Vw3lUPWjT pic.twitter.com/RbjtEFThyS
— L.A. Daily News (@ladailynews) August 6, 2020

By Tarek Fattal | [email protected] | Daily News
PUBLISHED: August 6, 2020 at 11:27 a.m. | UPDATED: August 6, 2020 at 1:08 p.m.

Rob Balucas said he focused on three things in 2015: Triathlons, running his web design and marketing business and walking Chloe, his dog. With a “less is more” approach, Balucas was ready to take things to a whole new level.

“It was going to be a breakthrough year,” he said.

Life changed on Labor Day that year. While training for a half-Ironman event, Balucas lost control of his bicycle and toppled over the side of a hill.

Initially, he thought he’d suffered a collarbone break in the fall. He’d recover in a month or so, he believed.

But a deeper look by doctors revealed an L1 burst fracture in his lumbar spine. Balucas was now a T8 Complete Asia Score A paraplegic, losing all control and feeling in his legs.

“The world changed,” said the 42-year-old Pepperdine grad who now resides in West Hills with his girlfriend.

Unable to walk after his accident, Balucas, who resided in San Francisco at the time, was forced to use a wheelchair. He moved into his parents house in Fresno, focusing on occupational and physical therapy.

“I found myself commiserating with others through the physical therapy,” Balucas said chuckling. “Going to the grocery store, or just the movies, with my therapist became routine. But each trip came with its challenges now that I was in a wheel chair.”

Balucas said learning to drive with his hands only, a process he said was expedited by his stepmother, helped him recapture much of his freedom.

“Despite what was going on, I felt her hinting at me — beginning to look for an apartment, starting to drive and be more independent,” he said. “At the time, it seemed insensitive, but in hindsight she was definitely trying to help me. I’m thankful for that push.”

Now training as a para-athlete, Balucas promised himself that he’d be return to triathlons — which generally include long-distance running, swimming and cycling — within a year.He kept that promise, competing in his first triathlon in August 2016.

“By the one-year mark of my accident I’d done three triathlons,” Balucas said, competing in Oakland, Santa Cruz and Malibu. “But it wasn’t without the help of friends and family.”
Rob Balucas crossing the finish line at the Ironman 70.3 event. (Contributing photo/SCSPhotoworks)

Balucas needed adaptive equipment to compete, including a hand-cranked bike for cycling and a racing wheelchair, for the distance-running portion of the competition. A crowdfunding page helped Balucas pay for the gear.

“I’ve always pushed myself,” he said. “I like to see what my limits are. I’ve gotten up to 43 miles per hour on the arm bike — that’s fast.”

Balucas is currently participating in the Angel City Virtual Games presented by Hartford, an event committed to a summer of sports, special events, and community building for adaptive athletes with physical disabilities.

The event is usually held on the campus of UCLA, at such facilities as Pauley Pavilion and Drake Stadium. But amid the pandemic, the festival has gone virtual. Instead of a few days, the event’s various competitions, activities and workshops will last through the end of August.

“For those with physical disabilities, this event is a game changer,” Balucas said. “It’s the same reason why able-bodied people do sports — but times 10. It shows adaptive athletes that there’s a world out there for them.”

The games provide training and challenges in such sports as wheelchair basketball, swimming and table tennis. Instead of physically competing, participants watch a training video from high-level coaches or Paralympic athletes then submit a video of themselves competing in whatever the challenge might be.

“I did the track and field challenge, which was pretty much a pushup-challenge,” said Balucas. “I submitted my video and felt good about it — but then I got crushed by a kid that did 67.”

Balucas’ ultimate goal is competing in the full Ironman World Championship event. The 2020 event was postponed until February, but then rescheduled again to October, 2021, in Kona, Hawaii.

After qualifying for the 2019 world championships in Lubbock, Texas with a second-place finish at the Ironman 70.3, he elected to compete in the half Ironman World Championship in Nice, France. As remarkable as qualifying for the event was, Balucas was left unsatisfied.

“I didn’t finish,” he explained. “There’s a horrendous hill that I couldn’t climb by the checkpoint time.”

Full of renewed desire, Balucas has set his sights on 2021 events — and pushing his limits yet again.

“I’ve seen every type of person cross those finish lines,” Balucas said. “Cancer survivors, obese people, people with one leg, a person with no arms — I’ve seen it all. I know I can do it.”

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