Q & A with Paul Harber

Q1. Paul how did you get started in the sport?
Paul : I began to run with my wife Mary in 2007 (she was way ahead of me) to lose weight and to improve my fitness level. We were out for a run and the Barrie triathlon was on, we watched it, I was hooked and set a goal to do a triathlon in 2008 took some classes and got some coaching with Mischelle Stevens. I did 3 tri a tri's and one sprint in 2008.
Q2. What is your favourite discipline of the Swim, Bike and Run?
Paul : My favourite discipline is the bike, I really like the speed and there is nothing better than being out on open road on a nice day
Q3. Do you openly admit to people you know Doug Austin?
Paul : I openly and gladly admit I know Doug, we began our journey in triathlon together, he was just the first of an amazing group of people that I have met since I started.
Q4. If you could be reincarnated, would you like to come back as Doug Austin?
Paul : (pause)...I just wish that I could have started in this sport much sooner than I did, so if I could come back again I hope it would be someone who would be able to and want to spend a lifetime doing what I have only been able to do for the last couple of years. If not, coming back as Doug wouldn't be all that bad it definitely would be interesting.
Q5. This past summer you had a nasty accident, do you feel like sharing with us that day ?
Paul : You always have in the back of your mind every time you go out on your bike that something like this could happen and on this ride it happened to me. As best as I can piece it together I was moving fairly fast a car came close and I moved over to avoid it hit a defect in the road and was thrown into the side of the bridge. Thankfully I don't remember anything until I woke up in the hospital with a broken collarbone, a concussion, bruised ribs and a lot of road rash.
I was thankful for two things that day, my helmet that saved my life and finding out that I had a lot of people that cared about me, Michelle Rumney,Doug Austin and Jamie Aalbers who stuck with me at the hospital and all the people that helped to lift my spirits with their messages. Also my thanks go out to everyone in the club for the gift of the helmet and jersey to relace the ones that were destroyed. Mary played a huge part in my recovery she has always supported me 100% in doing triathlons and I was overjoyed to be able to cross the finish line with her at the 2010 Toronto International marathon when she completed her first half marathon.
Q6. Paul how are you doing today ?
Paul : The collarbone is healed and I am still working to get full range of motion in my shoulder, I am swimming again and working on getting my cardio back to where it was, it sure doesn't take very long to lose it when you can't do anything at all.
Q7. What is your 2011 goal ?
Paul : My main goal for 2011 is to get that 70.3 that I was ready for before my accident which happened 2 weeks before Muskoka, I look forward to getting back to racing again, the best part is I have all winter to do it.