Eric McElvenny’s suitcase for his trip from Pittsburgh to the Paris Paralympics may look a little different from that of the average traveler. Inside: clothes, toiletries, a carbon fiber prosthetic socket painted with the American flag and several prosthetic legs.
The 41-year-old Rostraver native and former U.S. Marine Corps Captain is one of 18 U.S. para triathletes departing next week to compete in the Paralympics para triathlon, a testament to how far he’s come since he had the bottom part of his right leg blown off after stepping on an IED while deployed in Afghanistan in 2011.
“While some would regard this as a turning point in life, for Eric, indeed it was, but it was just a smaller speedbump, as he looks back on it,” Donald Koenig, director of the Pittsburgh VA, said Thursday afternoon during a VA send-off for Mr. McElvenny.
Post-amputation, Mr. McElvenny competed in eight Ironman triathlons before transitioning to para triathlons, which consist of a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer cycle and 5-kilometer run (in that order), and which in the Paralympics are run in six categories based on the athletes’ physical traits, he explained. His category is for below-the-knee amputees, whereas two of the other U.S. para triathletes, for example, are in the visually impaired category and will have a guide with them for the whole race.
In addition to handling everything an elite triathlete typically deals with, like ensuring that his bike is in the right gear and tires are pumped up to the right pressure and that his electrolyte drink is the same as what he’s had in training, he faces another challenge: ensuring the smoothest possible transition from one portion of the race to the next, which entails changing his prosthetic attachment for each portion.
“There’s a transition area where I get to change legs, and I have to have everything right in the exact spot because it’s a sprint triathlon, so every second counts,” he said.
For the swim portion, he won’t be wearing any prosthetic attachment. But for the cycling portion, he’ll be wearing a prosthetic leg that’s a lot like a regular leg but with a carbon fiber foot and with slightly different heights and angles to allow him more efficiency on the bike.
The cycling leg doesn’t run very well, though, he said, so for the running portion, he’ll be wearing a leg with a rounded blade in place of a foot.
“The energy that you put into it, it returns that energy and makes the running motion natural,” he said about the blade.
The prosthetic design process has several steps, explained orthotic and prosthetic technician Zack Anzelone, and, as Mr. McElvenny said, the journey to the Paralympics has been a “team effort.”
Andrew Chambers, an orthotist and prosthetist from the Pittsburgh VA, has been working with Mr. McElvenny since October 2023, when he first became a patient there after moving to Pittsburgh from San Diego.
Mr. Chambers and physical therapist John Schneider recently measured Mr. McElvenny’s metrics — including his stride length, power and ground contact time — while running at a set pace wearing various prosthetic attachments to determine the most optimal prosthesis design for him.
Beyond the prosthetics, Mr. McElvenny has been working hard training and preparing, both physically and mentally.
Before competing, he’ll “get very dialed in,” he said.
While he doesn’t have any particularly unique pre-race rituals, he said he follows a dietary routine prior to competing.
“I have to drink my coffee in the morning, so even on race day, it’s like, I don’t want to change anything,” he said. “I’ll drink my coffee. I’ll have the same kind of breakfast I always have.”
He also plans out his exact warm-up schedule, and visualizes the race and crossing the finish line many times before actually doing it.
In Paris, the swim portion of the race will take place in the Seine River. Swim portions are typically — though not always — done in sitting bodies of water without currents, so the Seine is unique in that sense, he said.
“Honestly, I’m excited,” he said. “I like harsh conditions. And with the current... I just like a bit of a challenge.”
There to cheer him on in Paris will be Mr. McElvenny’s wife, Rachel, and their three children, Lupe, Elise and William, who he said are his biggest supporters. It will be their first time seeing him compete in a Paralympics, as they were unable to attend the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, his first Paralympics, because of COVID-19.
He said he “can’t wait” to see them on the course in Paris.
“It’s surreal that we get to go, and we’ve been planning for this,” Rachel said. “We knew he was on the cusp of qualifying, so we were ready for it and excited.”
Elise, 11, William, 8, and Lupe, 18, all said they’re really excited to see their dad compete.
“I’m really looking forward to going there and being able to support him, and seeing him cross that finish line, because I know it’s been a really big dream of his for a while now,” Lupe said.
“These are elite athletes,” Mr. McElvenny said of Paralympians. “We’re elite athletes from all over the world who just happen to have a physical disability. The time that we put in training and prepping and everything, with blood, sweat and tears is that of an elite athlete.”
This year, he aims to make it onto the podium. Regardless of whether he places, though, he said he really wants to just enjoy the experience and have his family enjoy it with him.
“A lot of work went into it, and a lot of time, a lot of sacrifice, not just from me, but from so many, from this entire Pittsburgh community,” Mr. McElvenny said. “I’m just so grateful for everything.”
First Published: August 15, 2024, 10:58 p.m.
Updated: August 16, 2024, 5:00 p.m.
