Phillipe Poulin

Phillipe Poulin enjoys good food, rocking out to Aqua’s Barbie Girl, and knows that training for a race is no walk in the park. We sat down via Skype to find out just what it takes to put one foot in front of the other.

So the big question - how did you lose your leg?

When I was nine years old I was in a car accident. I crushed my leg and I chose to have it amputated to gain the ability to run. For me it has always been a choice that I have continued.

Any memorable learning curves?

I had no fear as a child. Losing my leg was like falling off a bicycle and scraping my knee - I was back on my bike in no time. Although, while rollerblading down a big hill one day, my prosthetic leg could not handle the speeds and came off mid-stride, dragging behind me! As a young boy with nothing but energy, my leg often had a tough time keeping up with me. 

Do you play any other sports?

Six months after my car accident, I was back on my soccer team as one of the better athletes. I picked up lacrosse where the finesse and ball handling was in my hands and fingers rather than in my ankle and toes. I played every sport competitively, including wakeboarding until track caught up with me.

How did you fall into the world of track?

I went for a run with my buddy, Jackie Marciano, a fellow athlete who had a similar amputation story as mine, and he brought along his running and strength training coach, Michael Bawol. I think they had a hidden agenda to convince me to pick up track - they believed I was guaranteed a spot on the 2012 Paralympic 4x100m Canadian Team. After some persuading I started coming out to practices and slowly began my journey and love for a sport of perfect strides.

Have you always dreamed of competing in the Paralympics?

Actually, I originally thought of it as a 'Special Olympics', like a pat on the back. I didn't think it was competitive. Then I began training at the Canada Games Centre in Halifax, where I have the opportunity to train beside kayakers, gymnasts, snowboarders, and big name track competitors inspirations like Yohan Blake and Tyson Gay. I now understand that these people are full-time athletes. They work out six days a week and have serious six-packs. They are not to be taken lightly.

What goes through your mind at the start line?

I picture each step in my mind. The gun goes off and my body reacts-foot forward, arm back. Think about where to put your body and it will go there.

Any furry feet or lucky charms?

Actually, no, but I do have an order to the way I prepare for a race. I always empty my bag completely and then slowly pack for competition. A friend of mine uses the motto, "be awesome," and I sort of adopt that for race day.

What's your favorite pump up music?

Aqua’s Barbie Girl.  

Training for any major event is a challenge, any advice? 

Focus on eating and staying on track. Training severely reduces your social life, and there are a lot of things that can throw you off course. It’s easy to get negative, think of quitting, or decide you've worked hard enough to deserve pizza or KFC. Stick with it. Work hard and understand that every day either brings you closer or farther from your goals.

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Phillipe lives in Coal Harbour, Nova Scotia and is currently getting his butt in gear for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Summer Games. You’ll soon be able to find Phil on Pursuit a place where people can donate to help fund his own race for the Olympics.

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