Episodes Notes

Inspired by the athletes competing in the wheelchair racing section of the Manitoba Marathon when he was six years old, Colin got hooked on wheelchair racing at a young age. Born with Spina Bifida, a wheelchair was Colin’s primary mode of transportation and, it turned out he could move pretty fast! A sprinter, Colin competes in the 100m, 200m and 400m, he says, because after about 50 seconds he just gets bored. He likes events that are done in about a minute.

In 2019 when Colin won nationals in the 100m, he was more than double the age of his competitors. You see, that is what happens when you are still at the top of your game after over 25 years of competing.  Colin earned a bronze medal in 1996 in the 4 X 400m relay at his first Paralympics. After appearing in the Paralympics four more times, he decided in 2018 that he was not yet done competing and he returned to training in search of a spot for 2020. We will have to wait and see what the future holds for Colin as the 2020 year was paused before the competition season could begin. However, given Colin’s ability to both compete and face adversity, our money is on him! There are very few athletes whose competitive careers have spanned close to 30 years.

At age 40 Colin now blends training with work (he completed a social work degree after returning to Winnipeg in 2012) and married life (he and his wife wed in 2011). He feels his life is an amazing and diversified portfolio. We could not agree more.

To learn about the courage it takes to tackle the ups and downs of an athletic career that spans more than a quarter century, please join us for our inspiring conversation with Colin Mathieson.