Skip to main content
U.K. Edition
Thursday, 25 April 2024

This man, who lost both his legs, now competes in Spartan Races and marathons

Credit: SWNS STUDIO
Duration: 00:54s 0 shares 3 views

This man, who lost both his legs, now competes in Spartan Races and marathons
This man, who lost both his legs, now competes in Spartan Races and marathons

A man who competes in Spartan Races and marathons despite being a double amputee is currently training - for an Iron Man competition. Kacey McCallister, 34, lost both his legs just below the hip aged six after he was hit by a semi-truck while trying to cross a divided highway.But Kacey turned the 'disability' into a new focus and in the 28 years that followed, he has become an incredibly dedicated athlete.Motivational speaker Kacey said: "Living without legs has been my entire life.

My parents never explained it like that though."It was never an excuse not to do stuff.

My dad even had one of those old dad sayings."He'd tell me: 'Can't never do anything, won't never will'."I thought it was silly back then, but it's sort of true." Kacey, from Keizer, Oregon, continued playing baseball and other sports following the accident and finished his first wheelchair marathon while in college. He added: "After a few races, it wasn't hard to do a marathon.

I was finishing in under two hours in a chair." Married father-of-five Kacey then decided to try his hand at a Spartan Race, a long-distance competition in which participants race through a series of difficult obstacles. He said: "There's no logical reason why I should do a Spartan Race.

In fact, it looks impossible for someone like me. "I'm almost the slowest person out there."But I've always looked for those things that seem impossible, not to say 'look what I can do', but to test myself. "I get a bit stubborn when people say things are impossible.

I love proving people wrong.

I'm looking for my breaking point where I just can't do anymore."My wife cares about my health and wants me to be safe doing these races.

I might overdo it on occasion."But, there's a lot of people sitting around on their couches thinking they can't do something."There's a lot of people who think they can't do things in their lives.

Your life is worth something and you can absolutely rise up and overcome those challenges." Kacey has managed to parlay his incredible athletic achievements into a lucrative career as a public speaker.He said: "I started speaking when I was six.

I did a speaking thing for a big old charity event.

All of our challenges really are in our head.  "We can't conquer the physical challenges until we conquer the mental ones." For his next challenge, Kacey wants to take on an Iron Man competition, a triathlon that combines a marathon, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 2.4-mile swim. 

A man who competes in Spartan Races and marathons despite being a double amputee is currently training - for an Iron Man competition.

Kacey McCallister, 34, lost both his legs just below the hip aged six after he was hit by a semi-truck while trying to cross a divided highway.But Kacey turned the 'disability' into a new focus and in the 28 years that followed, he has become an incredibly dedicated athlete.Motivational speaker Kacey said: "Living without legs has been my entire life.

My parents never explained it like that though."It was never an excuse not to do stuff.

My dad even had one of those old dad sayings."He'd tell me: 'Can't never do anything, won't never will'."I thought it was silly back then, but it's sort of true." Kacey, from Keizer, Oregon, continued playing baseball and other sports following the accident and finished his first wheelchair marathon while in college.

He added: "After a few races, it wasn't hard to do a marathon.

I was finishing in under two hours in a chair." Married father-of-five Kacey then decided to try his hand at a Spartan Race, a long-distance competition in which participants race through a series of difficult obstacles.

He said: "There's no logical reason why I should do a Spartan Race.

In fact, it looks impossible for someone like me.

"I'm almost the slowest person out there."But I've always looked for those things that seem impossible, not to say 'look what I can do', but to test myself.

"I get a bit stubborn when people say things are impossible.

I love proving people wrong.

I'm looking for my breaking point where I just can't do anymore."My wife cares about my health and wants me to be safe doing these races.

I might overdo it on occasion."But, there's a lot of people sitting around on their couches thinking they can't do something."There's a lot of people who think they can't do things in their lives.

Your life is worth something and you can absolutely rise up and overcome those challenges." Kacey has managed to parlay his incredible athletic achievements into a lucrative career as a public speaker.He said: "I started speaking when I was six.

I did a speaking thing for a big old charity event.

All of our challenges really are in our head.

"We can't conquer the physical challenges until we conquer the mental ones." For his next challenge, Kacey wants to take on an Iron Man competition, a triathlon that combines a marathon, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 2.4-mile swim.

You might like