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This June, when Leah Martyniuk completes the Tour de Cure, a 100-mile bike ride organized by the American Diabetes Association, she will have accomplished more than just a cycling milestone.
The Little Falls resident is an avid cycler and triathlete despite chronic back problems, the result of a serious car accident when she was 16.
After the accident, Martyniuk sai, “my doctors said I had the back of an 80-year-old.”
Despite her back problems, Martyniuk began cycling and, in 2010, set her sights on a triathlon.
Last summer, she competed in the Athleta Iron Girl triathlon, an all-women’s sprint distance event held at Oneida Shores Park in Brewerton.
“I really like the camaraderie of that,” said Martyniuk. “I thought it was something that would be extremely empowering to me.”
Unfortunately, Martyniuk, a 30-year-old mother of twin toddlers, suffered a recurrence of back pain over the winter, severely curtailing her training.
Martyniuk has two herniated disks, sciatica, and spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, all a result of the car accident when she was a teen-ager.
This winter, she took four months off from her training schedule for this year’s Iron Girl event.
She was most disappointed about putting away her bike.
“It made me really scared that I would never be able to do anything (athletic) again,” said Martyniuk. “It almost made me think I was going to have to sell my bike and never ride again.”
When she was finally able to get back to riding, Martyniuk decided to take on a cycling challenge that went beyond the Iron Girl’s 30-kilometer biking stage.
Martyniuk selected the Tour de Cure, held at Verona Beach State Park, for its focus on staying active even with health challenges.
“After I was laid up for the winter, I told my husband, ‘I’m going to do a century this year to prove to myself that I don’t need back surgery,’” said Martyniuk.
She chose the Tour de Cure to honor her aunts, several of whom have diabetes. She hopes to raise $500 in pledges and inspire other would-be athletes.
“I was a beginner,” she said of her first triathlon. “I had been riding for a year before that, but not training. Now I train extensively.”
Martyniuk uses an elliptical machine, stationary bike and treadmill to keep up with her training during the winter. She also takes a spinning class at the Little Falls YMCA. After the century ride, she plans to compete Aug. 7 in the third annual Iron Girl triathlon.
This June, when Leah Martyniuk completes the Tour de Cure, a 100-mile bike ride organized by the American Diabetes Association, she will have accomplished more than just a cycling milestone.
The Little Falls resident is an avid cycler and triathlete despite chronic back problems, the result of a serious car accident when she was 16.
After the accident, Martyniuk sai, “my doctors said I had the back of an 80-year-old.”
Despite her back problems, Martyniuk began cycling and, in 2010, set her sights on a triathlon.
Last summer, she competed in the Athleta Iron Girl triathlon, an all-women’s sprint distance event held at Oneida Shores Park in Brewerton.
“I really like the camaraderie of that,” said Martyniuk. “I thought it was something that would be extremely empowering to me.”
Unfortunately, Martyniuk, a 30-year-old mother of twin toddlers, suffered a recurrence of back pain over the winter, severely curtailing her training.
Martyniuk has two herniated disks, sciatica, and spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, all a result of the car accident when she was a teen-ager.
This winter, she took four months off from her training schedule for this year’s Iron Girl event.
She was most disappointed about putting away her bike.
“It made me really scared that I would never be able to do anything (athletic) again,” said Martyniuk. “It almost made me think I was going to have to sell my bike and never ride again.”
When she was finally able to get back to riding, Martyniuk decided to take on a cycling challenge that went beyond the Iron Girl’s 30-kilometer biking stage.
Martyniuk selected the Tour de Cure, held at Verona Beach State Park, for its focus on staying active even with health challenges.
“After I was laid up for the winter, I told my husband, ‘I’m going to do a century this year to prove to myself that I don’t need back surgery,’” said Martyniuk.
She chose the Tour de Cure to honor her aunts, several of whom have diabetes. She hopes to raise $500 in pledges and inspire other would-be athletes.
“I was a beginner,” she said of her first triathlon. “I had been riding for a year before that, but not training. Now I train extensively.”
Martyniuk uses an elliptical machine, stationary bike and treadmill to keep up with her training during the winter. She also takes a spinning class at the Little Falls YMCA. After the century ride, she plans to compete Aug. 7 in the third annual Iron Girl triathlon.
“Anybody can do something like this,” said Martyniuk. “It doesn’t have to be a 100-mile bike ride. It can be anything, walking, riding a bike. We all rode bikes as kids.”
Martyniuk says that she’s more confident as a result of her athletic endeavors. Last year, she went hiking in the Adirondacks and she is always on the lookout for new sports and activities to try. She plans to continue cycling “forever and ever.”
“I hope people will see, ‘Hey, this woman has all these problems with her back and she’s out there getting stronger, getting better, maybe I can, too,’” she said. “I hope it will inspire people to get out there.”
