Why I Guide
Guiding Aaron Scheidies, a legally blind World Champion Triathlete has
been one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire life. People normally
ask me the same two questions about guiding Aaron "how did we meet? & how
do I guide him?"
I met Aaron Scheidies at the 2002 Waterloo Triathlon. Jim Donaldson the
race director announced that we had a blind athlete in the field and that
we should try to help him along. Aaron needed no help; he bested me in
the 22 mile race by over 1 minute and 30 seconds. I was so impressed by
his accomplishments and him being blind, I went up to him and offered
a big congratulations. The next weekend, I saw Aaron again at the Clark
Lake Triathlon. I ended up ahead of him by about 1 minute and 30 seconds.
Noticing the ironic flip flop in results, Aaron pointed out that we were
very similar in racing abilities. Aaron also went on to say "I need a
guide at the Cancun World Championships in Triathlon" and wanted to know
if I would guide him. The rest is in the record books…Aaron Scheidies
World Champ 2002-2003-2006 AWAD Division
How do I guide Aaron? First, I need to train about 15 hours a week. Aaron
is 8 years younger than I am, so I need to stay on top of every discipline.
I think Aaron has raw speed that is inherent with young legs; however,
I have a deep strength base which normally allows me to race at Aaron’s
level(those years running for Easter Michigan University are paying off).
Aaron’s Strength is in swimming and biking where my strengths are more
towards biking and running.
Starting the race with the swim leg: I normally go out very hard in the
swim to to seperate Aaron and I from the rest of the group. Aaron and
I are decent open water swimmers, so we try to take advantage of our strengths.
We swim with a teather, thus helping us stay close together on the course.
I do my best to navigate the bouys and taking the tangent when applicable.
The tandem bike leg: Aaron and I ride a tandem for the bike leg of the
course. I sit infront (you’d be suprised how many people ask where Aaron
and I sit on the bike). A Tandem is about 2 mph slower than a solo bike
because of the weight and non aero positioning. It also climbs like a
mack truck (meaning it’s very slow). You have to think about 1000 feet
ahead to react to oncomming traffic. We’ve ridden in many races and many
conditions. It’s a great team when we get peddeling together!
Final leg on the run: With Aaron, I am able to act as a tugboat pushing/pulling
him in the right direction while calling out the terrain ahead of us.
We also use a teather to stay close on the run and to notify other runners
that Aaron and I are a blind sighted team. The support we get from other
athletes is nothing short of amazing!
Why do I guide Aaron? It’s really simple; because he asked me too. Aaron
has a heart of gold, is a strong Christian, and my role model
I think it was God’s plan to put us together and I will lead Aaron where
ever he needs me to take him.