for those who love the outdoors
12 July, 2022
In this podcast we talk to Claire Danson about her journey from winning able-bodied age group in triathlon to becoming a parathlete.
Winning her age group triathlon in 2019, Claire suffered a horrific accident, colliding with a tractor whilst on her bike. Airlifted to hospital and on initial assessment, they weren’t really sure what was next for Claire.
Paralysed from T5, so no sensation or movement from nearly half-way down her back and below a lot of people may have wondered how she could bounce back from this.
Claire had a goal that helped her through all the appointments, surgeries, consultations and sometimes even just getting up and getting dressed in the morning. She wanted to compete again. When talking to Claire you could see it in her eyes, the fire is there to race and we’re excited to watch Claire’s journey.
We talk to Claire about her journey from the accident through to rehab and how that progressed into more training and then racing again. We also talk about parathlete racing in triathlon and what that experience is like if you’re considering getting into parathletics.
We hope our conversation with Claire inspires you.
To follow Claire's journey, head over to Instagram and follow @cdanson10
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Claire became European Champion in her age group for Triathlon in 2019. That same year she was aiming to gain her Professional Racing Licence but unfortunately a collision with a tractor during a training ride resulted in her sustaining a spinal cord injury.
The injury left her paralysed from the waist down and ended her Triathlon career. Three years later, Claire is training hard and now an aspiring Para-Athlete, already competing and winning medals again.
To follow Claire's journey, head over to Instagram and follow @cdanson10
Outside & Active is the home for those who love the outdoors. Our mission is to inspire, inform and educate people about being active outdoors in a fun, safe and sustainable way. We provide inspiration, kit, tech and advice on adventure, camping, climbing, cycling, hiking, running water and winter.
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