By Victoria Klassen
Christine Robbins
Triathlon
Age: 38
# Paralympics: First
Sasha Boulton
Triathlon Guide
Age: 22
# Paralympics: First
SCHEDULE
Sat. Sept. 10 women’s PT5 triathlon, 11 a.m. ET
Christine Robbins was forced to switch sports from skiing to triathlon after losing her vision to an eye disease, and she is now heading to Rio for the Paralympic debut of triathlon.
The 38-year-old, who grew up in Gatineau and now lives in Chelsea, was born with retinitis pigmentosa and started losing her sight in her 20s. She says the toughest part was not being able to continue downhill skiing, but her friends in the ski community encouraged her to take up running.
“I started running and loved it and was able to continue doing the things that I love to do and I discovered triathlon as a result of that,” Robbins explains. “When the para-triathlon was added to the Paralympic program, I decided that I wanted to work towards representing Canada at the first Games that had para-triathlon.”
Robbins participated in the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s inaugural Paralympian Search in 2014. The event invited participants with physical disabilities and visual impairments to test their abilities in a variety of sports, giving them the chance to test their raw athletic skills through speed, strength and endurance drills. From the Search, she was identified as a triathlon prospect.
Since 2014, Robbins has raced around the world, collecting some respectable results. She earned bronze in a world para-triathlon event in Japan last May, and then took silver at the Edmonton ITU World Paratriathlon Series this past July.
Guiding Robbins is Sasha Boulton, a former University of Guelph track athlete. The pair have raced three times together. They train together once a month, but it wasn’t until they arrived in Rio that Boulton had the chance to get on a tandem bike for the first time.
Triathlon requires an athlete and their guide to swim 750 m, bike 20 km, and run 5 km as fast as possible.
“When I lost my sight, it was really difficult to even just think about walking outside my house and trying to make sure I didn’t fall and trip and walk into things,” recalls Robbins. “And now to have a fantastic guide who’s there, that I know I can trust, is amazing.
“We can’t just grab anyone and throw them on a tandem bike. That is a really big leap of faith to put someone on the front of your tandem bike that you have only known for three races. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of guts for Sasha to do that, and I really appreciate her confidence in being able to get on that bike and guide me in the race.”
Training around Chelsea, the Gatineau Park hills provided the perfect setting to prepare for the challenges they’ll face in Rio.
“A lot of it is trust, and the rest of it is communication,” notes Robbins, who is aiming to push herself to the limit in Rio. “We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well, so she knows what I need, I know what she needs, and we work really well together.”
Robbins’ husband Iain, who is also visually impaired, was named to the Rio 2016 Canadian Paralympic Team as a goalball assistant coach, but had to relinquish his spot since Robbins’ event coincided with goalball competition. It’ll instead be a family affair cheering for the mother of two back home in Chelsea.
Robbins hopes to inspire the next generation of para-athletes.
“Don’t let any perceived limitation stop you from trying out new things,” she encourages. “We’re all our own worst enemies when it comes to convincing ourselves not to try something.”
About Triathlon
Para-triathlon is comprised of a 750 m swim, a 20 km bike and a 5 km run. Athletes with visual impairments are tethered to their guide during the swim, ride a tandem bike with the guide, and run with a tether.