At times the old cliche is tossed around more often than a Tiger Woods joke on late night TV: It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. With the heart of a lion and a determination that could keep him alive in a desert with nothing but a rubber band and a paper clip, Salem's own John Young proves that the statement is as true as the sky is blue.
He proves it with every step through Witchcraft Heights, every lap in the pool of the Salem YMCA, and every time he rides his specially modified bike to work. The 44-year old math teacher at the Pingree School continues to push his body to the limit as he marches through his second season as a triathlete.
A native of Toronto, Young was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. Also known as disproportionate dwarfism, the disease has a negative effect on bone growth and puts pressure on the lower spine. Thus, despite having an average size torso, he has shorter arms and legs.
Young's journey to the arena of triathlon, which continues tomorrow at the Witch City Triathlon, began three years ago, when back pain had him facing major surgery. His chiropractor suggested that he continue his life-long hobby of swimming and take up cycling as well. After heeding the doctor's advice, the pain and discomfort started to "miraculously" disappear.
Around the same time, a student at Pingree challenged the faculty to ride their bikes to work in order to save gas. So Young, not one to back down from a challenge, added the 10 mile ride to his exercise program.
After receiving encouragement from a co-worker, he decided take his first step into the world of triathlon by competing in an aquabike competition, which consist of swimming and cycling portions of a triathlon. The rest is history.
A long-time fan of triathlon as a spectator, the Pingree swim coach had all eyes on him. In July of 2009, Young finished third out of four sprint aquabike competitors in Lowell's Mill City Triathlon, completing the .33-mile swim and 13-mile bike ride in two hours, eight seconds.
"After doing that race and watching everybody run, I thought maybe if I practice, it might be something I could do," Young said. "I talked to people who said that 'even if you walk you can still finish it,' so three weeks later I did the Witch City Triathlon (.5-mile swim, 13-mile bike, 3-mile run) in Salem. I came in second to last, but I finished."
After competing alongside Young at the Witch City Triathlon, Kurt Maw phoned Young with an offer to join his cycling and triathlon team, Comprehensive Racing. Maw, a captain for the Salem and southern New Hampshire based squad, felt Young would be a perfect fit.
SOMEONE TO LOOK UP TO
"He's an inspiration because he overcomes anything physical with mental strength and toughness," Maw said of Young. "He brings his attitude and demeanor and toughness, and that rubs off and it's one of the things we look for in any of our athletes."
When discussing his accomplishments, Young isn't shy about thanking those who have helped him along the way.
Because of his size, he is forced to use a child's bike. However, the crew at Salem Cycle offered their advice and helped remodel Young's bike for competition. It is now equipped with better racing wheels, a smaller cassette in the back and a bigger chain ring in front, enabling him to ride faster with shorter legs.
"It's a child's bike, so I had to work twice as hard to go the same distance," Young said of the bike prior to modifications. "The guys at the bike shop have been extremely accommodating and eager to help me the best they can."
Young also feels he is greatly improving because of his time with Comprehensive Racing. As part of his training regimen, which consists of running, cycling, and swimming six days per week, the former Pingree basketball coach takes part in team rides every Saturday morning and the team swims every Sunday morning.
He also benefits from the camaraderie and ability to exchange opinions with his fellow triathletes. One teammate referred Young to a professional triathlon coach, who watched film of Young running and then gave him advice on how to improve his technique.
Since making the proper adjustments, Young now runs pain free and lowered his time in the mile from 17 minutes to 13:30.
Although he hopes to inspire anyone who watches, there is one person in particular that Young aims to influence: his seven-year-old son, Owen. Like Young and his wife, Sue, Owen was born with achondroplasia.
By competing, Young wants to teach his son the age-old lesson that winning isn't everything. Life is more about going out and doing something rather than taking the easy way out and saying "I can't do it." It's about trying your best and being satisfied when you finish.
"With a little preparation anyone can get out there and do something," Young said. "Be it a 5k, a triathlon, or [anything else]."
Young's athletic history begins decades before his first triathlon. He managed his high school football team and in 1993 he won gold medals in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke at the inaugural World Dwarf Games in Chicago.
Every time someone tries to put a ceiling on what he can accomplish, Young grabs a sledge hammer and smashes his way to the next level.
After finishing ahead of five competitors at the Whaling City Triathlon in New Bedford two weeks ago, Young looks to impress his hometown by finishing tomorrow's Witch City Triathlon in under two hours. He's then slated to compete in the aquabike at the FirmMan Half Iron Triathlon (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike) in Narragansett, RI on September 12, where he will also serve as the guest speaker at the pre-race dinner.
As he travels city to city to show the world what he's made of, Young has one underlying thought that continues to motivate him.
"I think it's just the idea that there are a lot of people in life, when they look at a person's physical makeup and that person says [a goal], they say 'You can't do that because you don't have the perfect body,'" Young said. "Part of me wants to break that mold."
Grab a broom and dust pan, John, because you shattered that mold a long time ago.
