Pacific Ocean is the latest on MacDonald’s to-do list
Friday May 16 2008 By Eamonn Maher A self-professed “rock-turner,” Georgetown’s Wayne MacDonald has found yet another challenge to tackle this year.
The 42-year-old adventure-seeker lost the use of his legs after a 1999 fall off a roof, but that hasn’t prevented him from taking part in a number of activities since the accident, including flying, scuba diving, boating, cycling and skiing.
His latest quest is also on the water, although nothing like he’s tried before.
MacDonald will compete in the largest marathon outrigger race in the world along with 140 six-person crew boats at the Queen Liliuokalani race in Hawaii at the end of August, an 18-mile paddle in the Pacific Ocean.
“This race has an amazing history behind it in the Hawaiian culture and it’s intriguing to go there and be involved in this thing,” MacDonald said.
“I’ve always loved gliding because I prefer doing solo things more than I do team sports, but the type of teamwork you need for paddling is like a train. Everyone needs to be part of it to make it work.
“It’s a systematic thing and it’s very positive. You get into that rhythm and that’s why I can understand why long-distance runners enjoy that sort of thing. You get into a zone and it’s an amazing thing.”
MacDonald was rowing with the Argonaut club in Toronto last year before he met up with canoeist Larry Cain, who won a gold medal for Canada at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Cain suggested that MacDonald consider the adaptive PaddleALL group that was starting up a program at the Wai Nui O Kanaka Outrigger Club in downtown Oakville.
PaddleAll is a new project of CanoeKayak Canada, introduced last year to promote individuals with disabilities to participate in the sport and MacDonald was the first to sign on with the Oakville group. He entered his first race in Ottawa last summer in a two-man vessel with able-bodied teammate Rich Carson and the duo won the 100m sprint event easily.
“I got involved with sledge hockey, where everyone wanted to prove themselves to each other, even though they were on the same team, and it wasn’t really all that team-oriented. I like paddling because it’s a group effort to create a means to an end.”
He expects to train with the Wai Nui club three or four times a week this summer in preparation for the Hawaii race.
MacDonald often travels to Michigan to see his girlfriend and her three kids and also gives guitar lessons, making a number of speaking appearances as well.
He also founded the Halton Hills chapter of the Spinal Cord Society, which raises funds for spinal cord research, and a fund-raising golf tournament is held annually.
“When my accident happened, I was in the hospital and I didn’t know what my life was going to be like after a while. I had no clue. That’s why I call myself a rock-turner. Most of the time you see mud but sometimes there’s a gem underneath and that’s served me well because everything seems to snowball into the next.”

(Eamonn Maher can be reached at emaher@independentfreepress.com)

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