Business Student
~ Athlete Races Toward

- Boston Marathon

by Roxanne Fonagy

For some people, no amount of
adversity will keep them from what
they love. This is the case for avid
athlete and first-year Capilano
College business student Alistair
Dutson.

Three years ago, Alistair was ina
motorcycle accident that left him
unable to walk. Although he has
been diagnosed as having paraple-
gia, Alistair has defied the doctors’
prognosis, and has learned to walk
short distances with a cane. It is this
type of determination that has kept
him in pursuit of athletic excellence.

“I like to pursue sports that I
really enjoy, taking them as far as
possible competitively,” he says.

Currently enrolled in the Business
Administration program, Alistair
manages to balance a gruelling
athletic schedule with his studies.
His educational goal is to obtain a
diploma in Business Administration
from Capilano, and possibly pursue
a degree in Business Administration

from a university outside of Canada.

He says the College has been sup-

portive in allowing him to
juggle exam schedules
around his racing sched-
ule.

Maintaining a de-
manding schedule doesn’t
appear to phase Alistair.
He enters 15 to 20 wheel-
chair road races a year.
Some of the races are
costly with travel ex-
penses involved. Alistair
solved the financial
problem by approaching
the Rocky Mountain
Bicycle Company and Go
Energy Bars, which
agreed to sponsor him.

In preparation for the
races he trains six days a
week, two to three hours
a day, on the roads of
North Vancouver and in
the gym. His long range athletic goal
is to take part in track racing at the
1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta or
the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney,
Australia.

As a wheelchair track racing
athlete at the 1993 Canada Summer
Games, Alistair placed in the Na-
tional Top 10, and recorded personal
bests in the 200 and 800 metre races,
after only four months training.

In October, Alistair competed in
his first marathon, the Canadian
National Marathon Championship in
Victoria. His time qualified him for a
position on the starting grid in the
prestigious Boston Marathon, which
will be held April 18. He will also

March 24/94

Alistair Dutson

represent British Columbia at the
Canadian National Wheelchair
Marathon Championship on May 15
in Toronto.

As if this is not enough, when this
Informer was going to press, Alistair
was ski racing in the Mono-skiing
Slalom and GS Downhill events at
the 1994 B.C. Winter Games in
Smithers, March 10 - 13.

We at Capilano College would like
to say that we’re rooting for you,
Alistair, and wish you all the best in
your upcoming events. Having met
and talked with Alistair I can say
that he will be giving it his all, and
no matter what, will come up a
winner!

3