Warning – reading this may change your life!

I met someone today and I want to share a story with you.

Take a moment to ask yourself have you ever given up? Have you ever believed you can’t do something? OK, from now on the next time you think you ‘can’t’… I want you to say… 1998. Why 1998? Because in 1998 John Maclean swam across the English Channel. It’s not because it was a feat accomplished by only 600 swimmers in over 130 years. No indeed it’s because John Maclean became a national hero and an inspirational swimmer when he became the first wheelchair athlete ever to swim across the treacherous channel.

However, John Maclean is not disabled. With enough spirit, determination and desire to put the rest of the human race to shame, the 40 year old paraplegic also became the first wheelchair athlete to compete in the longest endurance event in the world: the Ultraman World Championship in Hawaii in 2006 (he’s already done three Hawaiian Ironman Triathlons).

Disabled? Are you kidding? Maclean, from Australia, pushed every physical and mental limit. A relatively leisurely 10 kilometre ocean swim followed by torturous road and cross-country bike legs totaling 421 km and on the third and final day, an 84 km run leg, the equivalent of two marathons.

Disabled after a cycling accident, John refused to sit back and let the world go by. Instead, he set himself an unthinkable goal. To accomplish what even most able bodies won’t go.

In 2001, he finished the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, one of the most grueling and dangerous yacht races in the world. A cold, bumpy, and very challenging race, it is typical for a considerable number of yachts and crewmen to retire.

Disabled? “I loathe the word,” he told me. “It’s got such a negative connotation. Why am I disabled? What can’t I do? We’re people with needs. I need a wheelchair. Someone who’s blind needs a guide dog.”

“Having needs doesn’t make you disabled. It’s a disrespectful term. I feel as if I’m being slapped in the face every time I hear it. It hurts. I hate it.”

Maclean’s life changed forever in 1988. He was a promising 22 year old rugby league player when he was hit by a 12 ton truck while cycling. He suffered multiple breaks to his pelvis and back, a fractured sternum, punctured lungs and a broken arm and became a paraplegic.
Disabled? He’s one of the toughest athletes on the planet, wheelchair or not. Sport drink manufacturer Gatorade sponsors him in a stable of stars that includes Michael Jordan, Ronaldinho and Brett Lee.

“It’s about equality. It’s about breaking down barriers. It’s about helping your fellow man.”

Daryl Allen, a veteran of 16 marathons, scoffed when Maclean revealed his Ultraman plan – but now they’re both tackling the grueling race. “I’ve known John for six years – he’s an inspirational guy,” Allen said.

“He told me he was doing it and I thought, ‘That’s plain stupid’. The event just doesn’t make sense, the vast distances. He’ll be doing it all with his arms, using the same muscles for everything. It’ll be a superhuman effort if he finishes, but I think he will. It would be above and beyond anything that should be able to be done.

Maclean’s girlfriend, Mandy Richards, said: “He’s moved past trying to prove himself equal. It’s about raising money for his foundation and inspiring children. He hates negativity. He blocks it all out, doesn’t like negative people, and doesn’t want them around.

“Maybe his accident has been an asset. Maybe anyone who has a life-changing experience can appreciate life more, try to achieve more. I forget he needs a wheelchair. I’ll get out of the car and walk off and he’s sitting there saying, ‘Hello? I need some help here’. That’s just the way he is.”

What she really means: John Maclean is not disabled. And what Maclean really means: no one in a wheelchair is.

So the next time you think it’s too tough, it’s time to quit… stop… and think about 1998. You can do anything.