A 39 year old para-triathlete, Chris Feeley, is tackling multiple triathlons after a life-changing spinal cord injury left him paralysed.
Chris, previously from Winchester, was employed as a trainee labourer for a construction company on buildings within the Army Training Regiment barracks in Winchester, when he was injured during an accident at work. Chris, aged just 22 at the time of his accident in 2004, suffered catastrophic spinal injuries when the dumper truck he was driving became stuck in a trench. During the attempts to rescue him, his spine was crushed leaving him paralysed from the waist down. In 2010, and following the final settlement of his legal case, Chris and his wife, Amy, relocated to North Dorset to embark on new adventures. They renovated their home to make it fully accessible, and run a successful holiday business, ‘Whistley Waters’.
During 2019, Chris was recovering from a pressure sore when he read a book by Guy Martin, which inspired him to become more active. He started to research his options and found that there were lots of competitive wheelchair racing open to him. He also discovered Access Adventures, a charity which delivers life-changing adaptive sports and activities for people living with disabilities. Following 6 months of intensive training, he completed his first accessible triathlon at Dorney Lake in 2019. He returned earlier this year in a British Championship race, coming 4th fastest in the wheelchair category.
He now competes as a WC PT H1 (wheelchair Paratriathlon) regularly and with Covid restrictions now being lifted, he plans on undertaking multiple triathlons, the first being this weekend, at ‘The British Triathlon Grand Finale’ at Mallory Park and the following weekend at ‘The Ironman 70.3’ in Weymouth on the 19th September.
Chris is being sponsored by Alma Law, an Andover-based law firm that specialises in personal injury claims.
Grant Evatt, Managing Partner of Alma Law said, “Chris is one of the most inspirational and yet modest individuals I have ever had the pleasure to meet and befriend. In the prime of his life, he suffered devastating spinal cord injuries and but for his inner strength and the love of his devoted wife Amy and his family, he would not in my opinion, be the man he is today. I had the privilege to act for him in his claim for personal injury damages and am delighted that my firm can continue to support him and his athletic ambitions. The Olympic Games in Paris 2024 here we come!”
Chris Feeley said, “Grant fought my corner at every turn. He was always there to lift me up during the hard times and genuinely there to celebrate with us for the good. Grant is now a very good friend of mine, and me and my wife Amy just want him to know how thankful we are that he helped us draw a line under what could have been a very negative time in my life and helped lay the foundations to move so far away from being stuck in my hospital bed to a life I love living.”
Chris is an inspiration, he lives a healthy, active life with his wife and four young children, and is living proof that with excellent medical care, rehabilitation, compensation and determination, anyone with a spinal cord injury can live a full and happy life.
You can follow Chris on his Instagram page: @boybetterroll
