Is there such a thing?

Isnt that what the Challenged Athlete Foundation does?
http://www.challengedathletes.org/site/c.4nJHJQPqEiKUE/b.6449023/k....

This is on the right track, but instead of providing the funding for the advocacy, training and competition I'm wondering about being the coach/trainer who actually works with the disabled athlete. Perhaps I should contact this org--thanks for the link.

Lots of info - and contact info - here: http://www.usatriathlon.org/audience/athlete-resources/paratriathle...

ETA: If you watch the Paratriathlete 101 webinar, they give contact info for each region's paratriathlon director. It's a free webinar: http://www.usatriathlon.org/events/webinars/series.aspx

Edited by ratherbeswimming 2013-08-08 1:29 PM

First off Special Olympics is for people with mental disabilities. If you are working with people with physical disabilities and you refer to the Paralympics, or Paratriathlon as the special Olympics, you are likely to offend them. The Special Olympics and Paralympics are on two completely different levels. I would say Special Olympics is like little league where everyone gets to play, and the Paralympics are like the Major's where you need not only talent, but also have to put in a lot of hard work to get there.

My wife and I are both paratriathletes. I work a full time job and I know my schedule/talent will never allow me to train at the level required to got to Rio, or any other Paralympics for that matter. My wife on the other hand has a coach and trains full time. She uses a coach from the OTC that also trains pro cyclists and pro triathletes(able bodied).

We do local races, but my wife also did the paratri nationals this year, and she will again next year. There just are not a lot of disabled athletes competing in tri's that's why you don't see them often. We had 3 of us in a race in Jax FL this year.

Paratriathlon is starting to grow now that the sport has been added to the Paralympics(Rio will be first official games with tri). Most of the serious athletes are already using a coach. We don't need a "special" coach anyone familiar with swim/bike will do. tr-1 athletes will need special instruction for the racing chair that is used for the run if they are not familiar with it. The training volume/intensity is the same.

tr-1 is allowed to have 2 handlers help them in the transition area. I'm not sure about the other categories since I am tr-1. You can find more info on classification on usat site.

Feel free to PM if you need more info, I love to talk about this stuff.

Try the Challenged Athletes Foundation (www.challengedathletes.org). I can't attest to them in any way, but my swim coach is training with a woman who has macular degeneration for the Beach to Battleship Full Ironman. If you'd like, you can PM me, and I can give you her contact information (the coach/guide).

If this is the same pair I'm thinking of, I know the athlete is also going to be working with a different guide at the world championships in London (since her B2B guide is already also on the team to race and therefore can't serve as a guide there). It seems like quite an undertaking for both the athletes and the guides, but it's exciting to see athletes who are willing to help work with others who need a guide.