Just a regular runner: Youngster inspires other triathletes
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Raffi Wilbur celebrates with race director Kristi Webb, Dr. Greg Christiansen, his mother, Yetta, brother, Kharan, and Habitat For Humanity CEO Howard Slaughter after completing the Kids Triathlon.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Raffi Wilbur is ready for his first Kids Triathlon thanks to the support of his aide, Dr. Greg Christiansen, as well as his mother, Yetta, and his older brother, Kharan.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Raffi Wilbur pedals his way to the front during the bicycling portion of the Kids Triathlon.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Raffi Wilbur needs no assistance from the lifeguard as he completes the 50-meter swim during the first leg of the Kids Triathlon held at the South Park Wave Pool.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Raffi Wilbur swims 50 meters in the South Park Wave Pool to start the Kids Triathlon.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
After emerging from the pool, Raffi Wilbur put on his limbs with the assistance of Dr. Greg Christiansen so he can compete in the cycling and running portions of the Kids Triathlon.
Raffi Wilbur gets encouragement from his brother, Kharan, as he nears the finish line in the Kids Triathlon.
Raffi Wilbur exits the pool area to transition to the cycling portion in the Kids Triathlon.
Raffi Wilbur is your typical 8-year-old boy.
“He loves to run everywhere,” said his mother, Yetta.
“When he would run with me, I saw how much he enjoyed it,” she added.
So Yetta entered him in athletic activities. He completed his first Kids Great Race, a one-kilometer run, in 2019.
“He loved it. He was so happy. I could tell by his expression,” Yetta said.
Yetta, though, had her concerns recently when Raffi entered the Kids Triathlon held July 16 at the South Park Wave Pool.
Her worries had nothing to do with the fact Raffi is a double-amputee.
“Actually, Raffi is my most athletic child,” Yetta said. “So that is challenging for me because I am not very athletic.”
Yetta, however, is nurturing. A single parent, she has adopted three children.
Her oldest, Tavone, 26, is American-born and a product of the foster-care system.
Yetta said she has always wanted to adopt because her father, James, was an orphan.
“My dad was never adopted so I have had adoption and orphans in my mind from a young age,” she said.
Yetta adopted her second son, Kharan, from Russia. Like Raffi, he has an artificial left leg and his left arm ends just below his elbow.
“The day they met at the airport, the relationship between the two took off,” Yetta said.
“My middle guy set the standard, so I wasn’t worried about Raffi and how he or I were going to do this. They helped each other.”
Raffi was adopted from Azerbaijan when he was 3 years old.
In addition to having a vision impairment and having prosthetics for both his lower limbs, he suffers from symbrachydactyly. The congenital condition is evidenced by short fingers that may be webbed or joined, underdeveloped or not developed at all.
“Raffi is adaptable,” Yetta said. “He adjusts to whatever he needs, whatever he wants. He’s a go-getter.”
With only one triathlon under his belt, Raffi competed in the South Park Kids Triathlon. It was the first time a para-athlete has competed in the 20-year-old event.
“It was particularly heartwarming to be able to include an athlete like Raffi for the first time,” said race director Kristi Webb. “He was inspirational and made us all feel great about the day.”
Dr. Greg Christiansen was equally impressed. An orthopedic surgeon at Advanced Surgical Hospital in Washington, he served as a race volunteer for five years before the event took a two-year hiatus because of the pandemic. Christiansen is also a veteran of a number of adult triathlons.
“My first impression of him was he’s a lot more capable than I ever thought,” said Christiansen. “He’s an amazing kid. He’s an 8-year-old boy that doesn’t see himself as any different than anybody else.”
Christiansen thought he would be holding Raffi’s bike, but the youth was so fast that he couldn’t keep up with him on the cycling course. “He was flying on the bike,” he said.
Christiansen ran side-by-side with Raffi, giving guidance during his one-kilometer run. Dr. Christiansen also assisted Raffi after his 50-meter swim, helping him affix his artificial limbs.
“Raffi had to do two transitions. Putting the legs on at the pool and then jogging over to the bike transition where he put his helmet on and grabbed his bike. I was just the point-to-point guy, but he was amazing. His steering and balance on the bike were fantastic. He’s fast on the bike and he’s fast on the run.
When Christiansen first volunteered to be Raffi’s pacer, he thought he’d be assisting a lesser-abled athlete.
“I was looking for a boy moving slowly,” he admitted. “But he was running across there very fast. There was no chance he was going to be the kid to finish last. He was going to do this and get across the finish line strong.”
Though he tuckered out a bit, Raffi found his inspiration in his brother. Kharan ran the final 15 yards to the finish line with him.
“I was just so excited to see him compete,” said Kharan. “He has done this before but this was a thrill.”
A few months before the Kids Triathlon, Raffi competed in an indoor triathlon in Mercer. He completed a quarter-mile swim consisting of 16 laps in a 25-yard pool. Because he was too small for the bikes, he did that portion of the event on an elliptical machine and finished with a run on the treadmill.
Even though he had an array of experiences, Raffi’s mother was apprehensive about his performance in the Kids Triathlon.
“Raffi’s such an upbeat little boy, and he’s always happy, but I was worried. When he did the Great Race, he would say, ‘I’m the fastest in the world’ and I thought maybe he would be sad if he didn’t do well but obviously he did not care.”
Raffi delighted in the entire event.
Of his first outdoor triathlon, he said it was “good” and added that he would do it again. “Three times,” he said emphatically.
Raffi also said that “everything” was his favorite part but he admitted to being exhausted.
“I got kinda tired. The running tired me out. That was hard but I liked riding the bicycles. Getting the medal was good, too.”
Raffi’s performance, says Christiansen, was inspirational.
“I have seen people who are more capable who are not capable or are not doing and trying things,” he said particularly of patients who are hesitant to get back to normal routines once they have recovered.
“When you see this kid, you go, ‘wow’. He’s my wow guy. Raffi’s not different than any other boys. Between the ears, he is no different. He’s an inspiration.”
Raffi Wilburg enjoys going to summer camp as much as the next kid.
And there are plenty of options out there for him thanks to Envision Blind Sports.
The non-profit organization in Mercer supports people who are blind or visually impaired by providing services and education to ensure ample opportunities to be physically fit.
The organization hosts a seven-day sleep-away camp in Erie.
Visit www.envisionblindsports.org or call 724-967-4712 for more details.
Additionally, Wilburg and his brother, Kharan, have attended camps designed specifically for amputees.
The Camp Star: Amputee Camp offers summer weeklong, over-night camps for ages 8 through 18 at the YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee/Spencer Campground near Zelienople.
“Honestly the variety is the best thing,” said Kharan, who has been going to the amputee camp for seven years. “There are different activities throughout the entire day and they always keep you moving. It’s fun.”
Assimilation into the real world is another benefit of the camp.
“It helps you adapt,” Kharan said. “It’s also to invite you to a more welcoming community of other amputees in the camp so you feel more comfortable to go out there.
“I feel comfortable when I go to school now,” he added. “I have been alive for a long time and have had these for a long time so I think I have gotten used to it. All the help and support has been tremendous.”
Camp Star is connected with UPMC Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh.
Visit https://www.chp.edu/ or call 412-370-5481 for details.