Veterans LaQuan Taylor and Seth Wade will be among a small group of people in wheelchairs asked to lead off the Sunshine Skyway 10K on Sunday morning.
They’ve been training for a few months now in their wheelchairs and only just recently learned they will be using hand cycles for the race. And so they had to switch up their workout.
“Pushing our everyday chairs uses a lot of back muscles," Wade said, "and when you get in the hand cycles, it’s all in the front of your arms. It’s totally different."
When asked why he wants to train for such a tough 10K Seth said, “I have a 7-year-old son who will be 8 next month. And it’s exciting to see the look on his face. Having something to look forward to is what’s important because you lose that when you lose the loss of your legs.”
Wade and Taylor shared a hospital room after being injured. He says participating in this year’s Skyway 10K is “exciting and a little bit nerve-wracking at the same time. I’m like, 'Man, will I be able to do it? Will I fail? Will I not?' But the competition runs so deep in the military culture, if they're succeeding, there’s no way I’ll be able to fail.”
Wade says this Skyway 10k gives them a purpose.
“I think the meaning of it is we all have something to look forward to. We all have something to train for. And most importantly it gets us out of the house and back in the group. The look on my son’s face when I told him I was going over the tall bridge over the water, it was priceless."
Taylor is ready, too.
“Yes let’s do it! There’s no mountain too high ... no bridge too tall!"
What other people are reading right now:
- Florida groomer picks up tail of disabled veteran's service dog, spins it until it breaks: sheriff
- UFO spotted live on the news? Cameras capture strange object in the sky
- Man plans to live at Holiday Inn instead of nursing home because it’s cheaper
- Horrified Florida mom finds YouTube Kids videos showing school shootings, how to commit suicide
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.