We all have those days when we feel it may have been better to roll over and stay in bed, sometimes that is actually the case!

A day like any other greeted Rob Paterson in October 1991, it was a sunny and crisp morning and summer was on it’s way. Rob had been competing in Triathlons as an enjoyable pastime for a number of years and was embarking on the start of a new season. He had recently moved from Melbourne to Albury and taken on the role of managing a fitness centre.

Rob had decided to do a hard bike session of around 40km on his bike that morning. After turning and heading back into town on the Hume highway Rob was hit from behind by a semi-trailer at over 100km/hr.

Suffering a number of life threatening injuries Rob was rushed to hospital and stabilised before being transferred to Melbourne where he remained in a critical condition for almost a month. The force of the impact had shattered a number of bones and had damaged his spinal cord which would leave him paralysed and in a wheelchair.

After 6 months in hospital and numerous challenges Rob moved back to Albury to resume life and learn how to adapt to his new circumstance. As with any challenge Rob met this head on and began coaching other triathletes and assisting them to reach their goals.

Fast forward some 20 plus years and a conversation over a coffee with a close mate ended with the insane idea that Rob could complete an Ironman triathlon over a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km full marathon run. Obviously the first step would be to start training and obtain the modified equipment require, a Handcycle, and racing wheelchair (which he already owned but had not used in many years).

Robs first attempt at the Ironman was in Busselton in 2013 and a shoulder injury forced him to retire 140km into the cycle leg. Not to be detoured Rob refocused and completed the Cairns Ironman in 2014 narrowly missing out on Qualification for the Hawaii Ironman the same year. In June 2015 a long time dream was realised and Rob won his spot for the 2015 Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii on October 10th.