Tahoe man headed to compete in the Endeavor Games

The South Lake Tahoe community pulled together behind Ryan Wallace in 2014 when he needed to buy a new prosthetic leg, which even at a discounted $25,000 was out of reach for the native man.

At the age of 19, Ryan had to have his leg amputated due to a rare form of bone cancer. The leg he received was wearing out after ten years, and the community helped Wallace buy the new one so he could walk and get back to coaching wrestling to the youth of the town.

"Shortly after the community raised money to buy me a new prosthetic I began to exercise five to six days a week, sometimes two times per day," said Wallace of the new experiences the new leg game him. "This entire experience restored a motivation in me that had partially gone dormant. With the new leg I was determined to make sure each day had a purpose and that I was advancing."

Enter into the picture, Amputee Blade Runners (ABR), a non-profit organization that provides running legs for people who wish to live an active lifestyle. A few months after Ryan began training and rebuilding his life, Ryan became aware of ABR and starting pushing towards satisfying the requirements to owning a running blade. Those requirements included participating in three 5k events, something that was a stark contrast to the life he was living before his new prosthetic, being essentially wheel chair bound with a broken human foot and broken prosthetic.

"I qualified and my life has been positively been impacted forever," said Wallace.

The running blade is essentially a spring attached to a polycentric hinge, the socket is a new “skin fit” design that is completely custom built for the user. It is held on with both suction and a boa system similar to a snowboard boot. Ryan traveled the ABR facilities in Tennessee to be fitted.

"I was able to run with it as soon as it was built, it is the most incredible object I have ever owned," Ryan said.

One of his goals during the last two years was to compete in powerlifting in the Endeavor Games, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the 2020 Paralympics in Japan.

Today, Ryan is on his way to the Endeavor Games at the University of Central Oklahoma to compete not only in powerlifing (the bench press), but also discus, shot put and sitting Volleyball.

The Endeavor Games are a nationally recognized competition that allows all athletes with physical disabilities to participate in a multi-sport event. They run from June 9-12 with clinics on Thursday, warm-ups and welcome events on Friday and competition on Saturday and Sunday.

Wallace says that he is "over competitive" and still angry about a wrestling match he lost in 8th grade 18 years ago. "I have coached long enough to know that a person’s first official competition does not ever go perfectly and that meager results are not an indicator of future success," Ryan said of his trip to Oklahoma. "My personal goals this week are to network, learn, and laugh."

While many athlete's careers are over at 32, Ryan's is essentially beginning. When asked what he hopes to accomplish at the Games, he says he wants this to show the people who donated two years ago that he was seriously in need, that they significantly impacted him, and that he sincerely meant his resolution to prove it was a worthwhile investment. "I hope this encourages them and others to contribute to others in need," he said.

"The fact that I am in position to do something like this will serve as a source of motivation," said Wallace. "Pulling myself out of despair took many hours of hard work, pushing through pain, and eliminating excuses. I hope my example shows that when you are down you can climb back up, it helps if you get a boost up like I did but anyone can make their situation better through faith and hard work."

Another goal this week is to let ABR know they made an excellent choice when they chose him for the blade runner, and that he is adequately spreading their message and forwarding their purpose.

"This is not a gift I intend to waste." said Wallace. "I just want to thank the community and ABR for their kindness, generosity bestowed upon me has profoundly change my perspective on the world."

I hope he realizes South Lake Tahoe is rooting him on in his endeavors.

From Ryan: I encourage everyone to check out ABR’s website and make a donation I can vouch that it is money well placed. If anyone wishes to contact me either to talk about this experience, or if they have a friend or relative with an amputation who has questions or needs help I am 100% receptive and available. Ryan Craig Wallace on Facebook, captainbassmurderer@yahoo.com, 530-318-9112