FOR most people the thought of competing in a triathlon – pushing their bodies to and beyond breaking limit through swimming, cycling and running – is so daunting it takes on terrifying proportions.
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However Nowra’s Jonathan Goerlach has the added challenge of venturing into the unknown, as he is unable to see where he is going.
After taking up the sport only five months ago, Mr Goerlach will compete at the Paratriathlon World Championships at Auckland in October.
Mr Goerlach has retinitis pigmentosa, an eye condition that means he is declared legally blind, and will compete in the tri-6 category.
“There are six categories for people with disabilities, I compete in the tri-6 category for people with impaired vision,” Mr Goerlach said.
“In this category every competitor has a guide of the same gender who competes with them, in the swim leg you’re tethered together from the waist down; on the cycle leg you ride a tandem with the guide steering and in the run leg you hold a tether,” he said.
Finding a guide willing to subject themselves to the torture of a triathlon, and also fast enough to not slow him down can be difficult.
Most current triathletes are more focused on their own racing, so it is hard to locate a suitable guide who is willing to commit to a paratriathlon, Mr Goerlach said.
He has been working with the Wollongong-based eXsight Tandems Club, which has provided bikes and partners for tandem training.
A lot of rules govern the fledgling sport ensuring paratriathletes are not able to partner with the sport’s elite athletes to take part in events.
However the guidelines allow former elite triathletes to be involved a year after they leave the elite level of competition.
Mr Goerlach said he had organised a person to compete with at the world championships, and by the time of the 2016 Paralympics he expected a lot of former elite athletes to be taking part as guides.
Paratriathlons are run over shorter courses than many traditional triathlons.
“Paratriathlon is run over a sprint course – the swim leg is 750m, the bike leg is 20km and there’s a 5km run,” Mr Goerlach said.
Though this will only be Mr Goerlach’s second paratriathlon, he believes he will put in a strong showing.
“Based on the times that are coming out of events such as the recent European Championships and 2011 World Championships in Beijing, I don’t think I’ll be too far off a medal, and I still have a lot of training and improvement ahead of me,” he said.
While Mr Goerlach is currently focused on the World Championships, he also has ambitions to take part in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio De Janeiro.
“Paratriathlon has recently been announced as a sport that will be part of the Paralympics in Rio, and getting involved in the sport now is the perfect opportunity, it gives me over four years to get ready for the Paralympics.”
Local residents have a chance to be part of Mr Goerlach’s road to Rio.
The Blind Sports Association of NSW has set up a funding account for him, and anyone interested in sponsoring Mr Goerlach or making a tax deductible donation can do so through Blind Sports NSW.
