McElvenny prepared for Paralympics in Paris
Before Eric McElvenny boarded a flight to Paris on Monday to compete in the Paralympics, the Bethel Park resident experienced fatigue, jet lag and anxiety. See, the four days prior to his journey were filled with fanfare, business and last-minute details that prevented him from the most mundane task of organizing his suitcase.
While seated at his dining room table in his home late Sunday afternoon McElvenny sighed and said, “I haven’t even started packing.”
McElvenny had just returned from a junket to San Francisco. He works as an ambassador and motivational coach for Össur, a company based in Iceland that develops, manufactures and sells non-invasive equipment for orthopedics, including prosthetics.
“It’s bad timing,” he admitted. “I’ll have three to four days of quiet time and training once I get to France.”
McElvenny had also recently attended a send-off event at the Pittsburgh VA a day prior to his West Coast journey. McElvenny had been working with orthotic and prosthetic employees as well as physical therapists there. Together they created a specially designed limb for his competition.
McElvenny explained the red, white and blue prosthetic delayed his travel preparations.
“I’m trying to fix a leg,” he said. “It’s faster. So I want to use it in Paris.”
McElvenny needs an artificial limb because he had his right leg amputated four inches below the knee when he stepped on an IED during his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. Approximately two months after the December 2011 incident, he was fitted for a carbon-fiber prosthetic leg, enabling him to continue his athletic endeavors.
A Rostraver native, McElvenny was an all-conference defensive back in football and an all-section shortstop in baseball when he attended Belle Vernon Area High School. While attending the Naval Academy, he played baseball and rugby for the Midshipmen.
Within six months of his recovery, McElvenny embarked on his Olympic journey. He competed in his first triathlon – a sprint event similar to the one in which he will compete in Paris. Since, the former Marine Corps Captain has completed more than 50 triathlons and nearly a dozen Ironman competitions that consist of a 2.4-mile swim, 120-mile bike and marathon run of 26.2 miles.
McElvenny qualified for this year’s Paralympic Games by accruing enough points during sanctioned international and continental events. This is his second time competing in the worldwide games. McElvenny finished sixth overall in the 2021 Games held in Tokyo.
“My goal is to win a medal and enjoy it,” McElvenny said. “While I’m not favored for the gold, anything can happen. The guy who won in Tokyo wasn’t either but there are strong athletes in the competition.”
In triathlon, the competition is divided into six categories based on the athletes’ physical traits. McElvenny will compete in PTS4 classification where prosthetic legs as well as bike modifications are allowed and for athletes who do not require a handcycle or racing chair. During his competition Sept. 1, he will swim 750-meters, cycle 20 kilometers and run a 5K in that order.
While he does not wear a prosthetic to swim, he will transition to a leg that sports a carbon fiber foot for the bike portions and a leg with a blade in which to run.
The currents, not the pollution, in the Seine River concern McElvenny as much as the transition zones. He anticipates being in the water for no more than 11 minutes, biking for under 30 minutes then sprinting to the finish line.
McElvenny averages 20 hours of workout time a week, swimming 4,000 meters in a masters program with the Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club, cycling between 150 to 200 miles a week, while running 30 miles a week.
“I’ve put the training in and I have swum in the Seine last year as a test event to check out the course and logistics,” he noted. “Water is water so I’m more worried with the currents not the bacteria because I won’t get sick until the next day if I do.
“The biggest concern is the transition zones. So I deliberately practice those to see how long it takes me to get out of the wetsuit, but on the leg to make sure the socket fits. Seconds are so important in the transition zones. Everything is based on where you are in relation to the competitors. I want to be close to the competition getting out of the water. But if you fall too far behind in transition sometimes it’s hard the rest of the day to catch up.”
McElvenney will have a secret weapon at his disposal. Unlike Tokyo, when spectators were forbidden because of the COVID-19 pandemic, McElvenney will have his family to cheer him on in Paris. His wife, Rachel, whom he met at the Naval Academy, as well as his children, Lupe, 18, Elise, 11, and William, 8, will make the trip to France.
“We have a big American flag that we’re going to wave so he can identify us,” said Lupe. “We are excited to go see him race and finish and support him any way we can. We are so proud of him for representing America.”
McElvenny added that he is pleased to perform on behalf of all the citizens of the country, including those who have made it possible for him to compete. For example, he noted how the MLAC raised funds for him to travel to a qualifying race in Australia earlier this year. He also acknowledged sponsors like the VA and Kwik Fill Gas Stations, not to mention the support Crossroads Ministries has provided.
“It’s truly been a team effort,” he said. “I have been blessed to have this opportunity.
“My first race was proving something to myself and now I have been blessed with so many opportunities on the world stage. Now it’s Paris,” he continued. “It’s nice to look back on the journey and the milestones that have been hit. That’s why it’s so important to me to remember where I was.”
It’s vital to McElvenny to also remind others to persevere through times of trouble. That is the main reason why he embraces the speaking engagements in which he provides inspiration to those who are struggling.
“I talk about principles of resilience,” he said. “One is gratitude. It can impact yourself and others in a positive way. The second is to have a goal that inspires you and pursue it with passion. That certainly has been helpful to me.”