In a wheelchair and doing 6km race

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A motorcycle accident in the late 80s left Nelson man David Trotter in a wheelchair with severe head injuries and struggling to speak.

Improvements in strength and coordination have been slow, but David’s appetite for adventure has been anything but.

He loves to skydive and in a few months he will take on one of the region’s toughest races, the 6km Wairau Warrior Obstacle Race.

David has been going to Wairau Body Coaching Systems in the Wakatu Estate for seven years to help build strength and muscle, and last year watched the inaugural Wairau Warrior race at Happy Valley.

After the race he said he wanted to climb over one of the A-frame obstacles. He couldn’t and his frustration gave Wairau owner and race organiser Greg Witika, along with David’s support worker Jesse Clifton, an idea: why not sign him up to the whole race.

“And we’ve been working towards it since then,” says Greg.

A support team of five will push and pull David’s wheelchair over the muddy course, help him overcome more than 20 obstacles including over walls, under the barbed wire and through a river.

Greg says David’s determination is inspirational.

“David’s got obstacles every single day but that doesn’t hold him back. It also shows others that you can push past those barriers.”

He says David will head out before the rest of the pack and he’s hoping that as people pass them they’ll have a few nice words of encouragement for him.

David’s mum Barbara says she’s seen a huge improvement over the past few years but doing this race was still a shock. “He went to the gym to learn how to climb this A-frame obstacle last year and when he came back they said he was signed up for the race. I said ‘what?!’

“People who know him are really surprised. They say ‘wow’. One friend burst into tears when we told her what he was doing.”

David has spent the past year getting used to the type of obstacles he will encounter on race day in early April. He says the training has been “ace”.

But, there is one but.

David cannot complete the muddy course in his standard wheelchair, he needs an all-terrain wheelchair. A supplier in Dunedin has found an ex-display chair that he can sell them for $6000. The same chair normally retails for $13,000.

Barbara has set up a Givealittle page to help raise the money. So far $2000 has been pledged.

Greg says once the chair is bought it will be made available for anyone in the community who may need it. “We’re going to leave it here and if people need it to go to the beach or to maybe do this race next year, it’ll be here for them.”

To pledge money for the wheelchair, visit www.givealittle.co.nz and search for David Trotter. To sign up for the Wairau Warrior visit www.wairuawarrior.co.nz