I stumbled across the story of Jim MacLaren when I watched a segment of the 2005 ESPY awards. He was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage award along with his friend Emmanuel Ofusu Yeboah. What struck me about this man was that Jim MacLaren's near-death experiences would have been too much for most people. But, he was not like most people. As I watched this video with tears streaming down my face, I realized I could not publish this issue of AfroStyle Magazine without telling his story to honor him. A smile peaked through as I watched the end of the video and right there I knew that Jim MacLaren is one of my heroes. How many of us could be twice hurt in life so cruelly, so painfully – and find the strength of spirit to transcend those physical devastations and call them a gift? For those who know not whom I speak of, read on…
Jim MacLaren was a motivational speaker and author, noted for his record-breaking performances in marathons and Ironman triathlons after having his left leg amputated below the knee. Born April 13 1963, MacLaren had a profound love for sports and performance and at fourteen; he was accepted at the Vermont Academy- an exclusive boarding school where there was nothing to do but play sports and study. Following his passions for sports and performance brought Jim to the next level. His academic success propelled him to an Ivy League education at Yale where he not only excelled in his course studies, but also lacrosse and football. He majored in theater studies while morphing into a 300-pound defensive end for the Bull Dogs. Moreover even before matriculating at Yale he had been a leading athlete at Vermont Academy. Upon finishing his undergraduate work in 1985, he ventured to New York City to train at the Circle in the Square Theatre School on Broadway. Three weeks later, leaving a late-night rehearsal session on his motorcycle, Jim was broadsided by a 40,000-pound city bus. He was rushed to the Bellevue Hospital where he was initially pronounced "dead on arrival." After eighteen hours of surgery, doctors stabilized a comatose MacLaren and made a decision that would shape the next eight years of his life-they amputated his left leg below the knee. He awoke from his coma, rehabbed diligently and attempted to resume his graduate studies at the Yale School of Drama. There, he started swimming and picked up a book on triathlons that sparked his imagination. Soon, MacLaren was ready to resume life not just as an athlete, but as a tri-athlete. It was during this time he felt he was back in life. He saw no one as competition but himself.
"….It took two years of self-study, going deep, and then deeper again; and sometime in 2000-2001, I chose life…."
Jim MacLaren became a media sensation in the fledgling sport of triathlons, paving the way for a new generation of disabled athletes. He competed and set scores of records in some of the toughest races on the planet, including the New York City Marathon which he completed in 3 hours, 16 minutes and the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii he finished in 10 hours, 42 minutes. He also routinely finished ahead of eighty percent of the able-bodied athletes. Then on June 6 1993, his life took another cruel turn.
He was in Mission Viejo, California, racing another triathlon. Two miles into the bike leg on a closed course, a traffic marshal misjudged MacLaren's speed approaching an intersection. The marshal directed a van to cross the street; the van hit his back wheel and he was thrown from his bicycle headfirst into signpost and broke his neck. He was told by the doctors that he was a quadriplegic and would never be able to move or feel from his chest down ever again; thus he was bound to a wheel chair.
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However despite the news, Jim slowly pulled himself back again, grappling with seemingly insurmountable obstacles and even reclaiming some motor function of his limbs. Most importantly, he fostered an inner force that enabled him to act in ways he couldn't as an able-bodied athlete. In his words, "It took two years of self study, going deep, and then deeper again; and sometime in 2000-2001, I chose life." Jim's Choose Living Foundation, which he launched in 2005 and his ongoing speaking engagements were a distillation of those experiences that shaped and changed Jim's daily. While it sounds simple, even simplistic, he did not shy from the no-nonsense challenges that such a straightforward moniker entails. He considered himself blessed not only because of the enlightenment achieved through his recoveries, his studies and self-exploration, but also because his speaking schedule allowed him to impart those lessons.
He was grateful for the exposure that came his way when he and Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2005 ESPY Awards, and the ensuing widespread media attention, including televised appearances with Oprah Winfrey and Jim Rome.
While working as a motivational speaker, Jim refused to cast himself as a victim and garnered two masters' degrees and worked toward his Ph. D. in mythology and depth psychology. He also understood the opportunity he was given to motivate others, and readily accepted that responsibility and offered his own experience as example. A friend once told him of a girl at a high school basketball game who wore a T-shirt that said: "What would Jim MacLaren do?" The answer is obvious. He chose to live life to the fullest, without excuses, without regret. In his words, "It's a journey. Rather than overcoming adversity, it's a journey about living with adversity." Jim MacLaren's accident inspired members of the running community to raise funds to allow him to purchase a van he could drive with his hands. The fundraiser rose above and beyond the amount of funds necessary, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation was founded in an attempt to support other disabled athletes in their efforts.
Jim MacLaren died in his sleep at his home in Akron, Pennsylvania. He was forty seven. For many who knew him, he will always be known for what he did while he was alive, and for the passion and courage he lived life with. He will always remain a true inspiration; he is a legacy to behold. In his words, "I found my strength by saying and believing, I am not my body. I am a man. I'm alive. As alive as anybody who is jamming a basketball or scoring a touchdown or hugging a child. Being alive is being alive. It's a good thing."
Jim MacLaren
April 13, 1963 – August 31, 2010
Amaka M. Onyioha
For more on Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF)