Aaron Scheidies experiences ups and downs in 2014

The 2014 para-triathlon season was one of ups and downs for the USA’s Aaron Scheidies, despite going the entire year undefeated.

A long-time standout in the blind, PT5 classification, Scheidies has only lost one race in nine years, and his racing season concluded with several top-podium spots and career-best races.

However, the announcement of his classification’s absence from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games left him disappointed.

“It was very shocking that PT5 was not included in the Rio Paralympics,” Scheidies said. “Throughout the process we were led to believe that our category was definitely in. But I’ve always been set for the ‘Road to Rio,’ and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get there. I’ve been looking into other Paralympic sports, like the marathon and cycling. I’m just weighing my best option.”

Despite the uncertainty of Scheidies’ Paralympic appearance, he is proud of his 2014 season, most specifically on a world stage.

“My best race of the season, and really the better one of my career, was the 2014 ITU World Championships [Grand Final] in Edmonton,” said Scheidies who previously lost to Great Britain’s Dave Ellis in the 2013 Grand Final, his first ever defeat, making Edmonton a bit of a redemption race.

“It made me really want to win this year,” Scheidies said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself and there were expectations that I would be on the podium. So, for the Edmonton race, I was prepared for anything.”

His preparation led to a first-place finish in 1:00:58, around three minutes ahead of the second-place finisher Vasyl Zakrevskyi.

Another highlight of the 2014 season for Scheidies was the Chicago Triathlon. Raised in the Midwest, it was a perk to have his family and friends able to attend and cheer him on.

Although he earned a first-place finish, the race did not go perfectly.

“I got a flat tyre,” Scheidies said. “Luckily it was pretty close to the wheel exchange, but I was still worried we were going to lose our lead.”

During the change, Scheidies and his guide were in fact passed by an Australian competitor.

“It was a pretty crazy moment, but we were on different lap counts. The Chicago race has seven laps [around Buckingham Fountain], so that can get a bit confusing,” Scheidies said. “Luckily my guide used his GPS to track our laps and we realised where we were. Every detail counts in a sprint race, and that’s what we really learned after Chicago.”

Scheidies expects to take the lessons he learned throughout the 2014 season into 2015, as he still plans to compete in triathlon races throughout the season to qualify for the Grand Final race in Chicago.

“Moving forward, I plan to take on more of an ambassador role,” Scheidies said. “I want to keep the competition level high, so I want to work with the ITU to improve PT5 and work to get it into the Paralympics eventually.”