rob balucas

Catalyst. Creative. Triathlete. Speaker. Cigar Aficionado. Amateur Behavioral Psychologist. Fresh Spring Roll Addict. Paraplegic at the moment.

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2021 IRONMAN 70.3 Lubbock Race Recap

Photo by Scott Flathouse

One of my favorite books has a chapter titled, ‘Know your real edge and don’t fake it.’

I have found through my triathlon journey, both before and after my spinal cord injury, that my real edge is always farther out than I thought it was.

Meaning, I am consistently capable of more than I thought when I challenge that thought.

I believe that is true for all of us. Especially those who tell me they could never do a triathlon.

I see all kinds cross that triathlon finish line. Big, small, tall, short, paraplegic, quadraplegic, missing a limb, missing two limbs, cerebral palsy, heart attack, stroke, traumatic brain injury, congenial birth defect … you name it, someone has overcome it.

But I’ve pushed farther and farther, so much so that people argue with me that I’m just an average athlete (which all the data supports).

Case in point, my last major race: the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France.

It ended in a DNF (Did Not Finish) because I didn’t make a hard time cut-off on the bike. There is, of course, more to that story and maybe I’ll write it up another day.

But coming home from such a defeat really stung and made me question everything.

Maybe I found my edge.

And maybe it was time to move on.

It mostly came down to swimming. I don’t have the benefit of 10,000 hours towards mastery many put in during their childhood. I picked up swimming in my late 30’s in order to do a triathlon.

During the race in Nice, I spent too much time and energy in the water. It put me too far behind in the race to make the hard time cut-off.

I didn’t admit it too many people, but I came home struggling to find motivation because maybe I just reached the edge.

Trying to balance my small business and relationship and training, I didn’t have any more time than I was already putting in to get better at swimming and make a difference in a race any time soon. Or even in time for next year.

And then a few months later, the pandemic hit.

All the races were eventually cancelled.

I decided now I have a year to get better. So I put my head down in 2020 and got to training. In the garage on the trainer, in our pool tied with a tether strap to the side. Eventually some pools opened with strict scheduling and distancing. We went to the pool almost every weekend since last September.

Earlier this year I really had my own crisis about it again, with a good sprinkle of lockdown fatigue that we all had.

There are 2 races globally where Handcycle Division slots to Kona are won this year: Finland and Lubbock, Texas.

I was looking at the competition; looking at my lack of progress in swim times; looking at how the cards were stacked for and against me to again qualify for the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

After a lot of consternation, I decided to stay committed to the goal I set.

 

“Commitment is doing what you said you would, long after the mood you said it in has left.”

// unkown

 

I’m going to put in the work that I’m capable of,
run the best race that I can,
and let the cards fall where they may.

And so I trained, no longer looking back.

Watching 2021 unfold, they set a date for the Lubbock race. Since both Erika and I had been fully vaccinated, we decided to plan as if it was going to happen.

That brings us to the weather.

The first year we went in 2018, It was 102ºF with 27 mph sustained winds, gusts to 48 mph.

The second year we went in 2019, it was a [relative] wonderful 95ºF with minimal winds.

The third year in 2020 was .. cancelled 48 hours before the race due to COVID and luckily we had already postponed as the pandemic loomed large.

We started monitoring the weather a few weeks ahead of the race and it showed a high under 80ºF, but with chances of thunderstorms on race day … so we just noted that as we prepared for the trip.

We decided to take an extra day on both sides of the race and drive – mostly because we couldn’t be certain that airlines wouldn’t damage my wheelchair, race chair, or handcycle (which is unfortunately VERY common); and we wouldn’t risk fellow airplane passengers pulling stunts like they have been with frequency lately.

As race day came near, the chances of thunderstorms only got worse.

It was somewhat of an elephant in the room. They didn’t address it at the race briefing. They didn’t talk about contingency plans…

BUT, there were no thunderstorms on race day. It would barely reach 80º, which was awesome.

No, the thunderstorms came the night before the race.

AFTER we had all checked in our bikes in the transition area out in the open.

I arrived in the morning to a puddle in my handcycle seat which was completely drenched.

It was still drizzling in the dark and we had to contend with mud everywhere around the small lake we swam in.

It also made the lake really murky if you can imagine what intense rain churns up in a shallow man-made lake.

And it was all that and more. The 3 of us in the handcycle division started first, in the dark.

The other two competitors, on top of being better swimmers, have less disability relative to me (meaning that they have more core and/or leg function than me).

And as we expected they were much faster in the water.

I came out 22 minutes behind, even though it was a 2 minute personal best for me.

I went out on the bike and made up 17 minutes on the second place guy.

It was a new bike course and they all but eliminated the climbing.

[rant warning] It appears that while today’s triathlete says they want a challenge, they really just want to go fast but not hard. It seems like the registrations went up a lot with this new course.

So I beat my 2019 time by 42 minutes through wet roads and one very big puddle, but it only got me within 5 minutes of second place.

And only first and second place go to Kona.

That IS me saying, “WAAAAHOOOO!!”

I knew I had a chance of catching second place because this new run course was 3 laps around the Texas Tech campus. It was full of turning and 180º out and back sections.

On a racing wheelchair, all that sharp turning is a technical skill one has to master because race chairs aren’t built for sharp road turns. They are built for the gradual curve of a traditional track.

And then .. technical difficulties.

In the first mile or two of the total 13.2, one of the rubber pads on the paddle I use to push against the push rim wheels and propel myself forward … well, it just straight up fell off.

Which meant I couldn’t hit the pushrim as hard as I wanted, and generate my maximum speed.

In the next mile I found my race chair was steering to the left and I had to continually compensate, again cramping my ability to really crank hard.

I tried to fix it and accidentally unscrewed the ‘compensator’ completely. I had to stop completely and another able-bodied competitor stopped to help me and we got it fixed.

But by then it was too late.

I had no chance to make up those 5 minutes and ended up 22 minutes behind second place. While the competitor in me was still angry and annoyed for the next 24 hours, I did what I had set out to do.

I trained the best Rob Balucas could.

I laid down the best race Rob Balucas was capable of.

With a big asterisk of a new, very flat, very different course from 2019; I PR’d every element of the race even with the race chair issues.

I hit my bike and run goals, and missed my swim goal by 2 minutes.

Photo by Scott Flathouse
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It's Mo!
It’s Mo!
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So what now?

I did not qualify for the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona this year.

I did qualify for the IRONMAN 70.3 Championships in St. George, Utah.

But I decided not to go. St. George. St. George is an extremely difficult course with bike climbing at altitude – similar to what I faced in Nice, France. But for me, and for the expense, I didn’t have interest in another 70.3.

For me, it’s time to tackle a full distance IRONMAN.

I’ve been allowed to enter IRONMAN California in Sacramento on October 24th.

I’m very excited because it is the inaugural year of this new race – the only full distance IRONMAN in California.

(With some exceptions, only certain races are Handcycle Division-approved and I have to petition race directors to allow me to race.)

It’s time to test for a new edge.

Can I improve my swim enough in the next 110 days to swim 2.4 miles before the cut-off time? And then complete 112 miles of handcycling followed by a 26.2 mile marathon?

We’ll see.


Continued training ensues.

I haven’t yet put together the same crowdfunding campaign as in prior years. I’m working on that, but the bucket for it is setup.

But as in prior years, the financial demands of all the equipment necessary are high. I just recently found that my race chair wheels are cracked and bent and need replacement. Those alone are $3,000. I’m open to and work through sponsorships, so if you know of any please let me know!

Beyond that, if you’re so inclined:

 
contribute now »
works too »

July 5, 2021

Bumble – ‘Paraplegic After an Accident, Rob Overcame Despair — and Met Erika’

Prachi Gupta

In 2015, one week before he was supposed to compete in a half Ironman Triathlon, Rob lost control of his bike at a sudden blind, sharp turn. He was thrown off, landing flat on his back about 20 feet down the hill. At first, he thought maybe he’d suffered a broken collar bone. But the injury turned out to be far more severe: he had cracked several ribs, his lungs had partially collapsed, and he’d fractured his spine. The accident had left him paraplegic, without any feeling or control in his legs.

As Rob, 44, began to come to terms with what had happened, he faced a choice: live with resentment and anger, or move forward. “I knew that at the bottom of that pit of despair is nothing. There’s no answer,” he says. “It happened, and you gotta deal. My brain still worked. I’m still me.”

Before the accident, Rob had been “playing the San Francisco lifestyle,” he says, meeting women through dating apps, including Bumble. He appreciated the ability to filter matches and know fairly quickly whether there was mutual interest or not. While conventional dating advice — especially for men — is geared towards netting as many matches as possible, Rob wanted to filter out anyone who didn’t share his values or wasn’t interested in a serious, committed relationship. “I’m cool with fewer matches and putting myself out there real and raw,” he says.

“I have a belief that there’s someone for everyone. There are people in wheelchairs who have families and relationships and kids.”

After the accident, he moved back to his hometown, Fresno, Calif., to focus on physical therapy and begin training as a paratriathlete. When Rob was ready to date again, he was faced with another choice: to include a photo of himself in his wheelchair on his Bumble profile, or not? For Rob, the decision was simple. “My pictures definitely included my wheelchair,” he says. “If your goal is a meaningful, long-term relationship, you gotta bring what you got.”

In terms of dating apps, he saw this as “an additional filter” to finding the right person: “I have a belief that there’s someone for everyone,” he says. “There are people in wheelchairs who have families and relationships and kids. For me, it was like, screw it. If I hear from fewer people, fantastic.”

On first dates, he was candid about what it means to be paraplegic. “Once we got into it a little bit, I’d be like, yeah there’s a lot to this,” he says. “Bowel, bladder, and incontinence and impotence problems…this is real.” Not everyone was a match: one woman ended things after two months because she wanted to be able to hike with a partner. “Here’s the rawness,” he says. “I want to hike too.” Though it hurt to hear, however, he appreciated her honesty.

It really sunk in that the wheelchair “was not an accessory” — it was central to Rob’s life.

By staying true to himself, Rob found an ideal partner in Erika, who found his positive attitude and his forthrightness “very refreshing.” They matched on Bumble in 2018. She lived in Los Angeles and Rob was in Fresno, so they relied on phone calls and FaceTime to get to know each other. “It meant we had to have an actual conversation, and I would see him rolling around in his wheelchair,” she says. That’s when it really sunk in that the wheelchair “was not an accessory” — it was central to Rob’s life.

Like Rob, Erika is an endurance athlete. “I’m a huge outdoor person,” she says. “And then my thought was, eh, I have friends to go hiking with. It’s not the end-all be-all that I have my partner do that with me…I need someone who will be there for me in other ways.” Yet, in their first several outings together, they quickly realized there were a lot of physical activities they could share. Erika joined Rob in a race for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, they went to Yosemite National Park and hiked on a wheelchair-accessible trail, and not long after, Rob attended a yoga class that Erika taught. “It was a great experience, and I was able to share a part of what I do with him,” she says.

Things moved pretty quickly after that. A year later, the couple purchased a home together in Los Angeles and have been working from home together through the pandemic. Although some friends and family members have asked about a wedding, they have no plans for marriage. What’s most important — as in Rob’s approach to dating — is to be consistent and honest. “We knew what we wanted at this stage in our lives, and [marriage] didn’t seem necessary,” Rob says. “It felt natural to commit, and say this is it. I just want to focus on having a real bond and a real relationship.”

See Website » View Article PDF »

February 25, 2021

USA Today Money – ‘An accessible home makes life easier’ for a para athlete and his partner’

Tanisha A. Sykes | Special to USA TODAY
Published: 4:04 a.m. ET Sep. 17, 2020 Updated: 7:59 a.m. ET Sep. 17, 2020

After looking at two houses, Rob Balucas and Erika Chau, knew they found the right home in 2019.

The couple, who met a few years ago on the dating app Bumble, now live in West Hills, California, in a quaint mid-century modern ranch.

Before they landed their current house, they had seen older homes that needed a lot of work. Their priority was ensuring their new abode was accessible for Rob, a paraplegic who uses a wheelchair. In 2015, Rob, a web design/online marketing entrepreneur, was training for a Half Ironman competition, and a cycling accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.

“He couldn’t even fit through the bathroom doors in one house,” says Erika, assistant vice chancellor, academic affairs, at the University of California, Los Angeles.

After experiencing one too many narrow doorways and tight hallways, they were really “bummed out”.

Erika Chau and Rob Balucas bought their home in Los Angeles, CA for $668,888. It was at the top end of their budget but met many of their accessibility needs.

Admittedly, “a lot of building codes have changed because the Americans with Disabilities Act requires them be wider and bigger,” she says. “But there should be an intent to at least have some accessible housing available, or some thought process for condo units or homes.”

At the time, Erika was living in West Hollywood, and Rob in Fresno. While looking for houses online, Erika spied their current home, with its wide driveway, open kitchen, and a ramp leading to the front door. She immediately FaceTimed Rob: “I could be insane, but I think this house is in the neighborhood we want,” she told him. That was a Sunday. “Our realtor got me in the next day to see it,” Erika says.

They paid the asking price of $668,888, which Rob says was at the top end of their budget, even though they were approved for more. With the help of their realtor, who suggested widening the doorways, then adding a pocket door, they could visualize the space’s potential to meet Rob’s needs.

“I literally couldn’t fit through the bathroom doorway when we first bought the house,” says Rob, an active para athlete who competes with members of Angel City Sports, which provides free adaptive sports opportunities for people with physical disabilities or visual impairments. He continues: “So we had to widen it and put in a barn door.”

And the open floor plan is a winner, he says. “The kitchen to the living room is one big open space, now we just have to decide how to lay out our furniture.”

Aside from needing a flat layout with no stairs inside or outside of the property, the couple, both 43, say many of their needs are typical of other homebuyers.

“We wanted something nice, open, and the right commuting distance to Erika’s work,” says Rob. He also wanted to live in a flat neighborhood where he could easily walk his dog, Chloe, and get around by himself.

“For Rob, it’s also really important to have a shower that has a tub, or a stove with controls in the front so he can reach them,” adds Erika. “A lot of people don’t think about those things, but that’s what we were looking for in our home.”

The home has a built-in ramp to the front door, an open kitchen and living room and hardwood floors. To make the home more accessible, the couple installed smart technology, modified the door to Balucas’ bathroom and moved the dishes, food and glasses to the bottom shelves in the kitchen.

Now that they are settled in, the couple can sit back and enjoy their new space, replete with smart lights, a smart thermostat, and a smart oven that are easy to control from an app.

“One thing I have learned is to have patience because everything takes longer when living in a wheelchair,” he says. “Having an accessible home makes life easier.”

Contributing: Andrea Kramar

See Website » View Article PDF »

September 18, 2020

9/5/2020 update | Year 5

Today is the 5-year mark since my injury.

Yeah. Time flies, right?

There is so much to share. So much has happened in the last year alone…

But what’s pressing on my mind is a realization I had while watching the documentary Crip Camp on Netflix:

Netflix describes it as “On the heels of Woodstock, a group of teen campers are inspired to join the fight for disability civil rights. This spirited look at grassroots activism is executive produced by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. … A groundbreaking summer camp galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality.”
It basically tells the story of the group of teens with disabilities who fought for eventually what became the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

I really encourage you to watch it, I won’t give more of the story away.

But what I really got from it is that I stand on the shoulders of giants.

Giants with every kind of disability.

Giants with wheelchairs.
Giants with crutches.
Giants with congenital birth defects.
Giants who got hit by buses (watch the documentary).
And other all other kinds of disabled GIANTS.

Now when I walk my dog and cross a street at the curb cutout, I think of this group who occupied a Federal office building in San Francisco for 26 days with all the health issues and risks that I have.

When I park in a handicap parking spot and have the ability to open my door wide and pull out my wheelchair, I think about how these warriors lived life with none of these conveniences.

Many fellow wheelchair users consider me a baby wheelie even at this 5-year mark. I used to refute that moniker.

But after watching this documentary, I realize: yes I am a baby in this new world for me. These people who fought for my ability to access the everyday world with ease are my defacto elders.

—

There’s a part in the documentary where some guy in the Nixon administration says that curb cutouts and dedicated parking spots, amongst other things, were a difficult expense for the budget when compared to the percentage of people who would benefit.

I remember one of my first managers at my first job out of college (many, many years ago) said in an off-hand comment during a happy hour the same sentiment. I didn’t think too much of it back then, but it stuck with me because I think I knew it wasn’t right.


“Prejudice can’t survive proximity…”

// Stephen Beresford

What became the ADA isn’t perfect. Enforcement and compliance aren’t perfect. People don’t comply and block/park in/use fake issues in handicap parking all the time.

But holy shit would my life be different if these people’s point of view won out. It would be incredibly harder and more frustrating to operate in this world.

I physically shudder at the thought.

I didn’t have an appreciation for wheelchair living before now because I didn’t have any proximity.

Now that I’m a part of this world and the proximity is my everyday life, I obviously see it from a different angle.

…and I’m not talking about the 4’2” perspective I now have, sitting in a wheelchair.

There is a quote I love by Stephen Beresford, “Prejudice can’t survive proximity, it melts away when you meet and speak to those you fear”.

It’s so relevant in today’s world.

It’s so easy to write off those who are different, especially if we’re not exposed to those people.

But when suddenly a family member comes out of the closet; or someone close becomes disabled … that’s when people’s hearts change and their eyes open. That is when the preconceived notions and priorities change.

It’s disappointing we humans operate that way at times.

But not all humans. And not all the time.

I’ve been fortunate to meet MANY people who have open eyes and open hearts. I make sure to surround myself with them.

It’s a matter of choice, I believe. It’s a matter of whether you’re able to be open or not.

And yes, proximity.

Are you looking down only at your own two feet? Or looking out to see the other people around you?

When you look out, do you do so with judgment – possibly driven by fear? Or could you look out with curiosity – maybe seeking to understand?

Sure it takes a little more energy. But the return is a little bit of connection.

And I’ve never heard of genuine connection as a detriment to one’s life and well-being.

Especially right now.


In honor of year 5, I set a goal to raise funding for Angel City Sports.

A lot of the media I’ve gotten recently is on their behalf, and it’s because they really make sports accessible. When quarantine came, they got creative and went virtual with their annual Angel City Games. And now they’re working on being able to survive.

Here’s the deal. I know if everyone who sees this donates $25, we would triple this goal.

Since I’ve moved to LA, I’ve found an awesome local community of challenged athletes and supporters in Angel City Sports (ACS). In these quarantine times, all non-profits are facing deficits and ACS is not different.

I hope to contribute to the ACS community as they rise LA youth and adults into the Paralympic Games for years to come.

If you have it, drop it in the bucket!

More Information and Contribute Here »

September 5, 2020

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.”

Read On

August 7, 2020

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