This Young Bro With Cerebral Palsy Crossing A Triathlon Finish Line Without His Frame Will Make Every Hair On Your Body Stand Up

Watching this video this morning has undoubtedly inspired me to blog harder today. I will be blogging so goddamn hard today. Because excuses are bullshit. Limitations can be exceeded. That’s what I’ve learned today from this 8-year-old British boy named Bailey Matthews.

Bailey has cerebral palsy, a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture. Symptoms of this disease include exaggerated reflexes, floppy or rigid limbs, and involuntary motions.

Despite his setbacks, Bailey successfully completed a 100m swim, 4km bike ride and 1.3km run at the Castle Howard Triathlon in Yorkshire England. I am able bodied and would not be able to do that. Actually, check that, IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING.

In the inspiring video below, you can see Bailey ditch his walking frame with about 50 yards to go as the crowd roars, pushing him to the finish line. Despite falling a couple times, Bailey picks himself up and keeps trucking past the finish line as crowd members, obviously moved by the feat, cry audibly.

His mother, Julie Hardcastle, told The Yorkshire Post:

“You can see his little face when he came round and saw everyone, that was his way of finishing in style and showing everyone what he could do. It was the response from the crowd that pushed him to do that.”

If every hair on your body doesn’t stand as you’re watching this, check your pulse. You may be dead.

[h/t LADbible]

Matt Keohan Avatar
Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.