At just 12 years old, Bailey Whitton is well on his way to sporting halls of fame.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Junee Primary School year six student will be the first athlete in the country to compete using a ‘race-runner’.
A three-wheeled devise, the race-runner was designed for people with cerebral palsy and other similar conditions.
Ever the understated, Bailey describes the first time he used a race-runner in Sydney at the beginning of the year, as “definitely something really different.”
“I went to a camp [in Sydney], where I got to use one,” said Bailey.
“It was two sizes too big for me, but dear God I could still run fast.”
Bailey will compete in the hundred metres dash at the NSW state athletics carnival in the Hunter.
Having also qualified for the shot-put event, Bailey will be the only student from his school to attend the carnival on October 30th and 31st.
Related:
But even if Bailey does place in the race, he will not receive the honours as by official adjudication the race-runner is not yet an approved racing device.
“It’s a bit of a hard situation for Bailey,” said Mrs Whitton.
“Crutches will also be disqualified because they aren’t approved either, so he has no real way to race.”
Bailey and his mother Tracy Whitton are hoping his race will be instrumental in seeing the device obtain approval from the Australian Paralympic Committee.
“Race-runners have been around for a very long time in Europe, but if it did open up to allow them [in Australia], it would be awesome,” said Mrs Whitton.
“People with CP have a quarter of the stride of an able-bodied runner, so this would just open the whole sport to him.”
The only race-approved aid Bailey could use is a wheelchair racer, like the one used by paralympian Kurt Fearnley.
“Bailey has spinal problems, so he really can’t use a racing wheelchair,” said Mrs Whitton.
“It would mean he was in enormous pain.”
Owing to the cost of the race-runner, Bailey has had little time to train ahead of the October 31st race.
“We’re going to start fundraising to buy our own, or see whether we might be able to hire one because they’re about $6000,” said Mrs Whitton.
“Unless we get one, he’ll have to travel to Sydney just to train. As it is he already has to go once a month for race meetings.”
Despite his disdain for travel, Bailey will journey to Copenhagen, Denmark in July of next year to take part in an intensive race-runner development camp.
“If [the race-runner] can get international classification, he might be able to qualify for the World Cerebral Palsy Games in August,” said Mrs Whitton.
“It’s in Dubai so that means more travelling, but that certainly is the goal at this stage.”