Olya Perevalova has come a long way from her humble life in Russia. Now, the amateur marathoner is aiming for a goal she never thought she'd reach, the U.S. women's Olympic team.
David Bailey and Ricky James are side-by-side and the wind is howling. They are on their handcycles and both of these athletes certainly understand the ups and downs of life more than most.
Carlsbad resident JP Theberge edged out competitors from around the globe including several top Paralympic athletes to clinch the title of fastest leg amputee triathlete in the world. With a finishing time of two hours and 14 minutes, Theberge achieved his personal best time in the Olympic distance race despite leg injuries and harsh race conditions, which forced officials to call off the swim portion later in the day due to concerns over hypothermia.
Theberge overtook paralympic downhill skiing medalist and former triathlon world champion, Martin Falch of Austria on the third round of the bike, averaging 23 mph on a fairly hilly and circuitous course and maintained about a minute and a half lead over Falch for the remainder of the race. Falch took second place and Tommy Koehler, former NYPD officer injured in the line of duty, took third place for Team USA.
"I hope this will encourage more amputees to become more physically active," says Theberge. "It's amazing to see challenged athletes from around the world competing on an international level, but the truth is it all starts with that first walk or jog around the block."
Theberge, 35, owns a market-research company serving Fortune 500 companies, Cultural Edge Consulting based in Carlsbad, but serves as a mentor and volunteer for the locally-based non-profit Challenged Athletes Foundation (www.challengedathletes.org ) which provides grants and support for disabled people trying to become more physically active.
Sponsor, Scope Prosthetics, a San Diego based prosthetics company, built JP two custom carbon fiber legs for running and biking making transitions faster and an overall faster race. In addition, Nytro Triathlon Suppliers (www.nytro.com), of Encinitas, outfitted JP with a top-of-the-line Quintana Roo Lucero (an all-carbon fiber race bike) and other triathlon equipment, while Ossur (Ossur.com), who also sponsors Oscar Pistorius (the fastest man on no legs who recently was allowed to compete in the able-bodied track and field events) provided the J-Shaped, Flex-Run component.
Theberge recently completed the ACA (amputee coalition of america) military peer counseling certification in order to provide better counseling to military as well civilian amputees post surgery.
Contact:
JP Theberge, (619) 884-2694
email: jp@culturaledge.net
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When women come together for sport, great things can happen. 
