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Athlete hopes to finish Ironman after brain injury

Robby West,in Norwichand
Neve Gordon-Farleigh
Shaun Whitmore/BBC Rob Sears sitting down surrounded by bikes. Behind him is an indoor training bike and another bike is hung up on the wall behind him. He is looking off to the right of the frame and is wearing a black T-shirt. Sears has long brunette hair which is tied up and has dark facial hair.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Rob Sears, 45, got the itch for his first triathlon in the lead up to his 30th birthday

A visually impaired athlete who had to relearn to walk and swim after falling down a flight of stairs is hoping to complete his first Ironman since the accident.

Rob Sears, 45, from Norwich, started competing in para-triathlons in 2017 due to progressively losing his eyesight.

Last July, he fell down a flight of stairs which caused a bleed on the brain and fractures to his back and pelvis. He had to learn "how to do everything from scratch".

"It completely changed my mindset that life is very short and I don't want to waste time complaining about the problems I have," he said.

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Rob Sears sitting on an indoor exercise training bike. Next to him in the background a bike with a white frame is hung up on the wall. Sears himself is looking down at the bike and is wearing a black T-shirt and black shorts. He has long brunette hair which is tied up into a top knot and has dark facial hair.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Sears now competes alongside a guide who helps him navigate the swim event, rides tandem with him for the cycle and is tethered to run alongside him in the race

Sears lives with choroideremia, a genetic condition which causes progressive sight loss, and believes he has 5% vision in the centre of his eyes.

Last summer, two weeks after signing up for Ironman Hamburg, he suffered a bleed on the brain and fractures to his pelvis, lower back and tore tendons in his shoulder after falling down a flight of stairs.

He spent 10 days in the intensive care unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Despite needing to relearn to walk and swim, he set his next goal on competing in Hamburg this June.

He said: "Physically it was tough coming back from the breaks but the thing that caused me the biggest challenge has been the bleed on the brain and the brain injury so I had to learn how to do everything from scratch.

"My head injury and the way my brain works when it starts to get tired, that has been a thing which has really been a struggle."

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Rob Sears outdoors running along the road with a friend tethered to him. They are running in a residential area and the road is lined with houses on either side. There is some grass and trees in the background. Rob is on the left and is wearing a cap, a bright orange Blind UK short-sleeved T-shirt and blue running shorts. Next to him is a friend and she has blonde hair and is wearing a red, black and yellow running top and black shorts with a pair of white trainers on. The picture is an action shot and has been taken while the pair are running alongside each other.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
After falling down the stairs in July, Sears was taken to hospital and spent 10 days in intensive care at Addenbrooke's Hospital after suffering a bleed on the brain

During the swim part of the event, the 45-year-old is attached to his guide by the thigh, to help him navigate the course.

During the bike ride, he sits in tandem with his guide and in the run they are tethered and run alongside each other.

He said: "Being a para-athlete means you have to trust somebody else with your life and sitting on the back of a bike going 40mph with no brakes is quite scary. It took a bit of time for me to overcome my trust issues."

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Loren Sears, Rob's wife. Loren is standing in the couple's kitchen. She is looking at the camera while leaning against the kitchen work top and is turned facing towards the left of the camera. She has long hair and is wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Loren Sears says she is looking forward to watching her husband cross the finish line at Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France

During his time in hospital, his wife Loren said he "shocked the physiotherapists" with his progress and she knew nothing would stop him getting to the start line in Hamburg in June.

However, 40 miles into the cycle event he had a puncture that left the bike damaged and he was out of the race.

After giving his inner tube to another athlete, who also had a puncture, this kind gesture was seen by the organisers who invited him to take part in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France.

Loren said: "It's going to be really nice being there supporting him, to be able to cheer him on and move around the crowd. It will be nice to see him come across the finish line."

Sears said he was excited about the event, which starts on 12 September.

"I've been invited because I did a nice thing so I'm there with no expectations.

"My only expectation is to finish this one, I've had two races now where the bike has put me out of the race so this is my third race. I just want to finish it," he said.

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