A Marathon week for athlete, Josh Cassidy

Josh Cassidy competing in Toronto in 2010. Cassidy photo

Hub Staff

By Sunday, April 24, Burgoyne’s Josh Cassidy will have completed two Marathons in less than a week. On April 18, Cassidy placed 11th in the Boston Marathon’s Pushrim Wheelchair category with a time of 1:36:59. And will compete on Sunday, April 24, in his seventh London Marathon in London, England.

See: Port Elgin native, Josh Cassidy competes in Boston Marathon

Cassidy holds a record for the world’s fastest wheelchair Marathon for his 2012 race in Boston with a time of 1:18:25, and was disappointed with this year’s race.

Cassidy seen here at Copley Square in Boston, pointing at his name among the list of all the winners of the race that are engraved into a granite slab at the finish. Cassidy photo

“I was expecting higher, you try and look at where things could have been better and it was evident to me that on the downhill I wasn't rolling as fast as I normally do with the other competitors, so I’m in need of new equipment,” Cassidy said April 22 from his hotel room in London. “I’ve had the chair and racing wheels for two years now, so the good news is once I get the funding, that’s an easy step forward.” Cassidy added that the cost would be around $15,000.

Cassidy spoke of his fondness of and support for the London race, which he won in 2010 with a time of 1:35:21. “To go back to back is difficult. I've been a little jet-lagged and not feeling the greatest but it’s a great challenge, and it’s a good opportunity to race, and I love this race and I always love to support it,” Cassidy said.

“Coming off an injury and the equipment issue, a win would be great - and that’s what I’ll go for - but realistically until I gain some strength back and get a new racing chair, it will be difficult.” He added, “I always accept a challenge and I’ll be aiming to try and make it as close to the top if I can.”

Cassidy will be racing against familiar faces in London, as many athletes have done as he has and traveled to London from Boston for Sunday’s race. And Cassidy knows the competition will help him prepare for his third Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this September. He said there are 12 to 14 competitors who have the potential to get on the podium. “It makes it competitive and it makes it exciting. Anything can happen in these races and everyone’s a threat,” said Cassidy.

He added that he feels less pressure going into his third Paralympics than he did during his second and first time around. “I've learned to let go a bit. Knowing that I’m doing all that I can, and if I’m doing that then ultimately I should be happy with the result. I know people will support me no matter what but it still doesn't take away from the fact that I’m working hard to go there to win a medal.”

Cassidy participated in both the 2008 and 2012 Games, finishing 10th in the 5000m, 12th in the 1500m, and 17th in the 800m in 2008. And in 2012 he placed 12th in the Marathon, 20th in the 5000m, 10th in the 1500m, and 5th in the 800m.

Cassidy currently resides in Guelph and has been traveling around the area sharing his story - his ups and downs - and in the process caught the eye of a documentary filmmaker from Santa Monica, California, Steven C. Barber. Barber is an Oscar shortlisted director and decided to film a documentary on Cassidy from the Boston Marathon to the Paralympics in September. He is currently looking for producers and investors to make the film a full-length feature.

Cassidy said the documentary has just come up in the past two weeks but he is hopeful it can help get his message out there. “I just wanted to share what I've experienced and learned with others to hopefully motivate them to have the same sort of perspective that I've been blessed to have. And doing that through film is great,” said Cassidy.

“There’s probably more to tell than can probably fit in a documentary,” he quipped.

The granite slab at Copley Square, that shows all of the winners' names at the finish of the Boston Marathon. Cassidy photo