“You don't have to be a hero to accomplish great things---to compete. You can just be an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.” 
― Edmund Hillary

We talk about an inclusive world in which all persons with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential.

Meetings, talking, words, manuals, guides on how to be inclusive, signing acts and plans is all part of the working towards a society that becomes inclusive for people with disabilities, but what really changes.

Most of the time it is just a physical act of what the word really means for it to be seen and not just spoken about. “The CBM Family Team” tried showing this on Saturday by racing the ITU as an all-inclusive team!

On the 25^th April, Melani, Judith and I took on the ITU Discovery World Triathlon. In my mind

when I asked Melani and Judith to do it with me I didn’t think “inclusion”, I just thought “team building” and “Fun”. Yet being who I am I decided it needed to mean something and when I looked at our team it made sense….. “UNITING TOWARDS A DISABILITY INCLUSIVE SOCIETY”

Here we were, me with a disability, Melani and Judith, racing as a team showing something that walks inclusion.

Catherine to swim 1, 5 kilometres

Judith to cycle 40 kilometres

Melani to run 10 kilometres

Being Cape Town and being the Atlantic Ocean the water temperature on the day was 9 degrees Celsius and the swim was cancelled due to it being too cold, so my part of the race was no more. So we kept our heads flying high and went for coffee instead. Oh yes we still had to race two more parts of the Triathlon……..

 Judith cycled 40 kilometres, and then handed the baton over to Melani who ran 10 kilometres, and as a team we all ran into the stadium together and finished as an all-inclusive winning team, not winning the team race but winning by participating and bringing in inclusion where we knew how.

"What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?” 
― John Green

Did we do something remarkable in this race?

Did we change mind-sets of people by being an inclusive team?

Did people even see us?

Did this impact society in any way by making it more inclusive?

I can’t answer these questions but I do know we had coffee together as a team, Judith cycled for our team, Melani ran for our team and we all finished inclusively together for our CBM Family Team, we even got the medal to prove it!

Another step to Iron

A very quick update on my – “Journey to Iron” and my step for a hand cycle.

I received the amazing news from the CAF (Challenge Athletes Foundationhttp://www.challengedathletes.org/)............... “I am happy to inform you that you were approved for a Top End Force 3!! Congratulations! I have included the certificate in order to start the ordering process and your approval letter. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any other questions and again, congratulations!!”

Yes so I got my hand cycle and will hopefully be getting it to South Africa soon. Just another small step to Iron!

 THANK YOU TO…………………………………

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination"