On April 18th in San Diego, Jim MacLaren, who passed away in 2010, will become the first challenged athlete inducted into the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame. John MacLaren came on to chat about his brother and how Jimmy’s legacy will live on forever through The Challenged Athletes Foundation.

What a better way to start our Kona Countdown than with an athlete who set the amputee record in Kona and just may have been our most important Ironman participant of all time. Jim MacLaren came on with us right before he was to receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPN ESPY Awards in 2005. Jim passed away a week ago at the age of 47, but his legacy will live on forever through the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Jim MacLaren

Jim MacLaren has had an amazing life. A 300 pound football player at Yale, in 1985 he was hit by a New York City bus while on his motorcycle and became a lower leg amputee. Eight years later, MacLaren was hit again, this time by a van while on his bike during a race, and became a quadriplegic. Believe it or not, that is just the beginning of the Jim MacLaren story.
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Jim MacLaren has had an amazing life. A 300 pound football player at Yale, in 1985 he was hit by a New York City bus while on his motorcycle and became a lower leg amputee. Eight years later, MacLaren was hit again, this time by a van while on his bike during a race, and became a quadriplegic. Believe it or not, that is just the beginning of the Jim MacLaren story.
(continue reading…)