When you look up ‘overcoming adversity’ you might see Hector Picard’s picture pop up. Picard, 51, lost his entire right arm and half of his left because of an accident while working as an electrician in 1992.
More than 13,000 volts of electricity surged through his body twice, leaving him covered with second and third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body.
A double-arm amputee, Picard has completed 160 triathlons, including five Ironman-distance races, including the Ironman in Hawaii.
He's cycled from Miami to Spokane, Washington, and from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to New York City.
He's done an 8-mile, open-ocean swim and now he will return to Grand Bahama this weekend for his second GBPA Conchman Triathlon.
“Returning to Freeport and competing in Conchman is something that I wanted to do for a long time,” said Picard. “My experiences with the race and people of Freeport have always been a positive one.”
“We were delighted when Hector said that he would return to Grand Bahama to do the GBPA Conchman Triathlon,” said Christopher Baker, Committee Chairman of the Triathlon.
“I met up with Hector in June at the Key Biscayne Triathlon where we both took part. He is a great example to young people faced with misfortune.”
Now with more than 150 triathlons under his belt, Picard has his method down pat. He swims on his back and uses a frog kick move, propelling himself with his feet. His bike is modified to allow him to apply the brakes with pressure from his right knee.
He steers by putting his residual left arm into a coupler on the handlebars. He controls an electronic shifting system with his chin.
Today, Picard is a sponsored professional triathlete and a motivational speaker with a heavy schedule of events. His website name carries his message: Dontstopliving.org. He remarried five years ago and is a grandfather.
He loves delivering his message and competing.
Each race he does now is to benefit a child with a disability. He'll carry a picture of the child during the event, and then give his medal to the child later.
“For Conchman I will compete for Gareth Kirkby, a youngster that is going through some tough obstacles in his life,” noted Picard.
Kirkby, who is still recovering from a car accident in March of this year, is a family friend of Picard’s wife Wendy, who lived in Freeport and has followed his recovery.
“Not only does competing for him inspire me, but hopefully I can inspire him and brighten his day with a new medal.” Picard who has overcome so much himself, knows the obstacles and the hardships that many kids are going through.
“When they see someone like me -- and I'm similar to them -- they can feel like they can accomplish anything."
The Conchman Triathlon is scheduled for the first Saturday of each November. Now in its 31st year, the event begins this Thursday November 2nd with race packet pickup at the Grand Lucayan Hotel and also on Friday with a review of the race with the organizers.
Racing starts at 7.45 am on Taino Beach, Freeport on Saturday November 4th with the Olympic Triathlon then Sprint Triathlon with IronKids starting at 12.30 pm.
For more information contact the Conchman Committee, credit on article assistance to Runner’s World.
“We were delighted when Hector said that he would return to Grand Bahama to do the GBPA Conchman Triathlon,” said Christopher Baker, Committee Chairman of the Triathlon. “I met up with Hector in June at the Key Biscayne Triathlon where we both took part. He is a great example to young people faced with misfortune.” (Photo by C. Baker for Barefoot Marketing)
Picard to Return to Conchman
A double-arm amputee, Picard has completed 160 triathlons, including five Ironman-distance races, including the Ironman in Hawaii. He's cycled from Miami to Spokane, Washington, and from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to New York City. He's done an 8-mile, open-ocean swim and now he will return to Grand Bahama this weekend for his second GBPA Conchman Triathlon. (Photo courtesy of H.Picard for Barefoot Marketing)
