Going the Distance

Jeremy Shortsleeve ’08 (#2231), left, at the starting line of the 2009 KeyBank Vermont City Marathon.

Marathon Man Seeking Hand-Cycling Record

Jeremy Shortsleeve '08 was the first person to cross the finish line at the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon last year. And he did it without using his feet.

Shortsleeve, 32, of South Burlington, Vt., placed first in the hand-cycling division. He completed the 26-mile course in 1:48:13. "It was kind of cool ... definitely," said Shortsleeve, a native of New Haven, Vt.

This year, he has his sights set even higher: breaking the record of 1:43:00.

Shortsleeve's love of hand-cycling began in 2005, shortly after a devastating motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed. While in the hospital recuperating, fellow hand-cycler and disabled athletes activist Patrick Standen visited Shortsleeve and encouraged him to try hand-cycling. "He said, ‘It's not the end of your life. It's not the end of the world, trust me,'" Shortsleeve recalled. "He was right."

About a month after he left the hospital, Shortsleeve, a former high school athlete, got on a hand-cycle. "I was able to go out on a bike, to go out everywhere," he said.

Since then, he's been hooked. His first marathon was the 2008 KeyBank Vermont City Marathon, where he placed third. Last fall, he participated in the Kelly Brush Century Ride in Middlebury, Vt., riding 100 miles to raise funds for adaptive sports equipment for people with spinal cord injuries.

This year he plans to do a total of three marathons. "I enjoy the competition," Shortsleeve said. "and whether I win or lose, racing against people that are better than you and faster than you only makes you better."
Taking on a challenge - setting ambitious goals and achieving them - are things that motivate Shortsleeve in other parts of his life as well.

In 2006, while working as a desktop computer technician, he decided to go back to school and get a master's degree. "It was a personal goal," he said. He enrolled in an on-line graduate program at Champlain College and completed his studies in two years, receiving an M.S. in Managing Innovation and Information Technology.

The on-line courses fit well with his schedule, allowing him to work full-time and complete classwork in the evenings and on weekends. While he no longer works in IT, the experience helped him gain valuable business skills. Those skills have helped him in his current position in project management at General Dynamics, Shortsleeve said.

Now he wants to go back to school again - this time to achieve certification as a Program Management Professional. "It's the crème de la creme of certification to get in that field," he said.

These days, when he's not working, Shortsleeve is busy preparing for the upcoming KeyBank Vermont City Marathon in May. He's been training since last November. He follows a strict fitness plan and diet, lifts weights and works out on a stationary handcycle trainer, turning the cranks.

"My goals are simple. Win and set the course record," Shortsleeve said. "I have the training plan in place and I have the bike to do it. It's all about executing my plan on game day." —SI