Trails keep wheelchair marathoner fit
There are many reasons riders take to the 23 Great Rides of New Zealand, but for Christchurch man Bernard Mahuika it's a training ground for marathons.
On most weekends adaptive rider Bernard makes the day-long return trip from Christchurch to the West Coast Wilderness Trail Great Ride on the west coast.
He uses sections of the trail to train for the annual South Island Ultra Marathon, a 100km event held on the West Coast Wilderness Trail from Greymouth to Hokitika each May.
Completing the ultra is no easy feat for anyone, let alone some who is a T5 paraplegic, the result of a car accident in Ngahere, just inland from Greymouth, almost 40 years ago.
A T5 paraplegic has a spinal cord injury at the thoracic level (mid-chest). It means Bernard is paralysed from the chest down.
Born and bred on the West Coast, Bernard (pictured right) was 20 then. He was often out running and had completed half marathons.
For the past three decades he’s continued to compete in half and full marathons – in a wheelchair.
“My first run in a wheelchair was the Westland half marathon back in 1988. I was pretty sore in my shoulders and arms after that first race, mainly because I hadn’t done enough proper training, but it was a pretty cool feeling."
Bernard recently competed in the Christchurch marathon but a flat tyre almost halfway through the race meant to didn’t finish.
He was planning to compete in the upcoming ultra this year, however health issues have hindered his training. He’s determined to make a comeback next year instead.
Never-the-less, his weekly 3-5-hour trek across to the West Coast Wilderness Trail is something he looks forward to, and it keeps him fit and healthy.
“I’ve ridden from Greymouth to Kumara and back and from Hokitika to Ross on my hand cycle, but I’ve pushed all of it between Greymouth and Hokitika on race day in my chair with a free-wheel attachment.
“The whole trail is pretty cool, with some pretty cool scenery. The uphill sections and the downhill sections are probably my favourites,” he says.
The best sections I enjoy are the downhill zigzags before and after Cowboy Paradise and the long uphill parts between the intake and the summit which are good for doing hill intervals.”
The hills can be difficult, and depending on the type of cycle, some of the sharp, switchback corners can be too, says Bernard.
He has some valuable tips for adaptive riders:
- The whole trail is accessible with a free wheel attachment on a wheelchair. Some of the hills between Kumara and Kaniere can be a challenge in either direction. He recommends a helper for some not so confident people in that section
- Between Greymouth and Kumara is easily ridden on a recreational handcycle or even a road racing cycle. There are no sharp corners, but the narrow tyres could be a problem on the loose gravel, so he recommends a helper
- The best part is probably from the summit heading south down through Cowboy Paradise to Milltown Road. There is lots of freewheeling, especially down through the switchbacks above and below Cowboy Paradise.
All of our 23 Ngā Haerenga Great Rides of New Zealand are at various stages of their accessibility journeys. Check out our adaptive riding hub to plan your next adventure now.
