On Sunday morning, April 29, 851 athletes gathered to take part in the annual PossAbilities Triathlon at Loma Linda University Drayson Center. This group consisted of elite, world-class athletes, wheelchair athletes, weekend warriors and youngsters on big wheels.

Willie Stewart, PossAbilities coordinator and an Iron Man athlete himself, says that this event is for everyone.

“There’s something everyone can do. The purpose is to get people active and to bring the community together through sport,” says Stewart.

“It’s a fast and furious sprint triathlon,” says Stewart.

Top male and female finishers for the various events shared a total of $5,500 in prize money.

Scout Bassett, a challenged athlete with an above the knee amputation, lost her leg when she was an infant in a liquid fire. But that didn’t stop her from finishing first in the female challenged athlete division. “This is the first time I’ve done this triathlon, and it’s a great, great triathlon,” says Bassett.

This year continued the team division, introduced for the first time in the 2006 race. Four Southern California triathlon clubs participated, including Team PossAbilities, which Stewart describes as “a cycling, running, jogging, walking club for everyone, with or without disabilities, to get them going in life.”

“I’m doing the 5K race, my partner is going to do the bike, and then we’ll tag, and I’ll do the swim,” said challenged athlete Daniel Palacios as he prepared for the race to begin. Palacios has been a member of PossAbilities for three years.

In addition to post-race exhibits, bounces for the kids and popcorn, each participant received a goody bag with an event T-shirt and a medal.

The event is organized by PossAbilities, a membership organization for people with diverse disabilities run by Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus.

Open to the public, the event drew more than 2,000 people between athletes, spectators and children participating in the Kids Tri. This is the fifth year that the PossAbilities program at Loma Linda University Medical Center has held a triathlon. The event draws attention to the potential in each individual, including those with disabilities.

The PossAbilities membership organization provides recreational and social opportunities for those with a disability. “PossAbilities integrates people in life after traumatic injury or born with a disability,” says Stewart. “It let’s everyone know that we’re as strong as our community. PossAbilities represents the whole person care: physical, social, intellectual, psychological and spiritual. When one piece is broken, the whole person is broken. PossAbilities helps address the needs of the whole person.”

Presented by San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the triathlon is a celebration of all walks of life, skill and physical ability. Participants competed in a variety of events including the sprint triathlon, the IEHP 5K Run/Walk/Roll, Kids Triathlon, and a Tiny Tots Tricycle Triathlon as part of the morning’s festivities.