Born with congenital limb differences, South African wheelchair athlete Ernst van Dyk today is an advocate for people with disabilities. On behalf of Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and in partnership with Massachusetts Rehab Commission, van Dyk recently addressed a crowd at the Riverview School for students with complex language, learning and cognitive disabilities in Sandwich, MA.

Still a competitive athlete, he has devoted much of his spare time to inspiring people of all ages and abilities. In sharing his message of overcoming adversity, van Dyk often stresses that true victory is defined by how an individual chooses to get back up when he has been knocked down.

Captivating an Audience

From first-time marathoners to aspiring young athletes, van Dyk's reach runs deep. "Ernst truly embodies the strength and perseverance I see in our patients each day. His story reminds us all that anything is possible," Sharon Gale, PT, MHA, director of outpatient operations for Spaulding Cape Cod, told ADVANCE.

With nine titles and counting, van Dyk holds the record for wins across all divisions in the Boston Marathon's 115-year history.

As Gale prepared to tackle the Boston Marathon herself for the first time this past spring, seeing someone as inspiring as van Dyk energized her personally. Beginning in 2003, the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network has been one of van Dyk's major sponsors.

On behalf of Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and in partnership with Massachusetts Rehab Commission, van Dyk recently addressed a crowd of hundreds at the Riverview School for students with complex language, learning and cognitive disabilities in Sandwich, MA. "As a clinician, it was powerful to see the impact his message had on our community," she recalled.

"Spaulding is proud to have this long-standing sponsorship with Ernst to support him as he continually rewrites the record books and challenges perceptions of what is possible," said David Storto, president, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. "Ernst embodies the very best qualities of strength and dedication that our caregivers and courageous patients display each day at Spaulding."

Global Recognition

"Disabled sports do not often receive media coverage," explained van Dyk. "When a corporation books me for a speech, it's not unusual for more than half of the audience members to have never heard of me. People are just not made aware of what we, as disabled athletes, can achieve or the lives that we live."

In 2006, van Dyk was honored as the Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability by the international Laureus Sport Foundation. This award is the apex of the sporting world, and with this honor, he joined the likes of Serena Williams and Lance Armstrong.

He hopes that by making a name in his sport, he will play a role in bringing disabled sports to the forefront. "Media coverage of disabled sports is very important in opening people's minds to the possibilities in life and how we are making the best of sometimes rather difficult situations," he said.

He believes that every athlete-whether disabled or not-attributes success to hard work, dedication and perseverance.

"In the modern world in which we live, it's no longer enough to just have talent or athletic ability," van Dyk shared. "Most competitors have the same natural attributes when they line up for an event. The critical factor is learning to dial in your skills, paying attention to detail, planning carefully and most importantly, consistently working hard. There are no more free rides in the sports world."

The decorated athlete feels that education, particularly among the youth, is of paramount importance in the disabled sports community. "People simply do not know about disabled sports because they are never exposed to or confronted with it. I try my best to educate through my motivational talks and I use my achievements in sport to facilitate the opportunity."

People will become more knowledgeable about the abilities of people with disabilities simply by taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, observed van Dyk.

"Sometimes pros join when I am training with a group of cyclists, and they're amazed that we can ride a bike just as fast and hard with our arms as they can with their legs. It's like a light switch going on and they realize what physical and mental ability they're dealing with."

At the Top of his Game

With swimming as the first sport he knew, van Dyk still believes it is a great sport to develop young athletes.

"My early days of swimming developed my cardiovascular system to an optimal level, which really gave me an advantage when I moved over to wheelchair racing," shared van Dyk.

He works with a strength and conditioning coach three to four times a week and also sees a physiotherapist once a week for prehabilitation. "I've not suffered a serious injury for the last five years so it's a formula that seems to be working well for me," van Dyk relayed. He receives his sport science support at The Stellenbosch University Sport Performance Institute in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Winning the Boston Marathon for the ninth time and setting the record for the most wins was a dream come true, according to van Dyk. "For any athlete to stay at the top of [his] game for a decade is a massive challenge and achievement," he shared.

Although he is content with his achievements in the Boston Marathon, he plans to be back next year to attempt number 10 for the second year in a row. He acknowledges that the field is now crowded with new racers who admittedly may be hungrier for a win than he is at this point in his career.

"I have a lot of respect for all of my competitors," expressed van Dyk. "Sometimes when you listen to the horrific stories of how these individuals ended up disabled, you're amazed that they were able to pick up the pieces and move on with their lives. I'm inspired by their resilience."

Although he was favored to win the 2011 Boston Marathon, he placed third. In retrospect, he believes that he was not as well prepared as he would like to be. He set the second-fastest time of his career and the fourth-fastest time of all time in the sport-all at 38 years old. Further, he has held on to the world record he set in 2004 for men's wheelchair marathon.

"Sometimes I'm still surprised by how hard we can push our bodies when we have to," he observed.

From May to September, the winter months in South Africa, he races on the UCI Handcycling circuit with three World Cup events and a world championship in August/September.

Handcycling has become his sport of focus and he is looking forward to competing in the Paralympics in 2012.

In addition to training as a professional athlete, he owns a business, works as an events manager at Stellenbosch University, gives motivational talks the world over and serves as chairman of the Western Cape Koi Keepers Society. But aside from the professional and athletic achievements, the fastest wheelchair marathoner in history is also a loving husband and father.

Apart from his athletic career, van Dyk lists receiving his degree in sport science and becoming the first person with a disability to do so at his university as a top personal achievement.

Ernst is ever focused on how he can continue to expand his impact for the community with disabilities worldwide. Fittingly, he has launched a new sports equipment brand in South Africa that offers a range of sports and recreational products for people with disabilities. "I live a balanced life and see my sport as one of my many jobs," van Dyk shared. 

Rebecca Mayer is senior regional editor of ADVANCE and can be reached at rmayer@advanceweb.com