Jeff Noalan, local amputee, becomes an Ironman

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Lowcountry resident Jeff Nolan, a below the knee amputee, became an Ironman on September 30, 2012.

Jeff lost his leg due to a work related accident in 2003, but has never let his impairment slow him down. Shortly before his elective amputation in 2010, he was given a copy of fellow amputee Scott Rigsby’s book The Unthinkable. Scott is an Ironman and his book is what inspired Jeff to work towards becoming one as well.

After months of training with a group in Summerville, he finally got a chance to compete in the Augusta Half Ironman on September 30, and placed 2nd in his physically challenged division with a time of 6:12:39. The half marathon consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run.

Before the swim, Jeff removed his leg and gave it to his handler. Handlers are allowed to assist mobility impaired athletes out of the water to dry land so they can put on their prosthesis. Jeff then ran to the transition area where he switched from his everyday prosthesis to his specially made biking prosthesis. This prosthesis has a clip on the bottom so that he can clip into his bike pedal. When Jeff finished with the bike portion, he changed his prosthesis for a final time. His running prosthesis is designed for optimum running performance.

A big congratulations to Jeff Nolan. His story is an inspiration to us all.

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