“I may not control my body, but I still control my dreams.”
Friday 7th April 2023
What is DO-IT?
Patrick Demoucelle, 58, set himself an incredible challenge. After 18 years of living with Parkinson’s disease, he completed a triathlon. A real triathlon, with some modifications:
- the challenge took place indoors.
- Patrick cycled the 40 km of this Olympic discipline on a stationary bike; he ran the final 10 km using an elliptical cross-trainer; and, rather than swim the first 1,500 metres, he rowed them on a rowing machine.
He DID-IT!
Supported by friends and family along with Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee CEO Cédric Van Branteghem, Patrick achieved his goal in less than two hours! Wearing a different Team Belgium t-shirt for each of the three stages of the DO-IT challenge, Patrick achieved a faster time than he had hoped and was delighted by his result, saying afterwards:
“No human is limited!”
With grateful thanks to professional photographer Jean-Michel Clajot, who kindly volunteered to take pictures at the event.
To find out more, please read the article in Le Soir and watch a report on Bx1. In addition, you can read the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee’s nouvelles in which they highlighted Patrick’s achievement.
To view amateur videos taken by friends and supporters on the day itself, please click here.
To watch a reel summarising Patrick’s achievement, please click on the picture below.
Interview with Patrick:
Why did you set yourself a challenge?
Life is about challenges, some imposed on us, some we set ourselves.
I consider challenges as positive reformulations of difficulties.
Why did you choose to do a triathlon in particular?
Because challenges should be challenging!
Don’t go small, dream big!
What will success in this challenge look like?
The old me would have said: “Do it in 1h 59mins!”
The current me simply says: “I have already succeeded.”
What has training for this challenge given you/taught you?
For the past year (of training): first I built muscle, then did cardio, then HIIT, then
cardio long races.
In this final phase, I have been training 6-7 hours per week.
It brings me confidence, pleasure, pain, and endorphins.
What do you hope will be the impact of this challenge?
Open the door to followers, dreamers, can-doers (encourage others to dream as well)
Prove that moving is good for Parkinson’s patients.
Be proud, yet humble.
What’s next?
One should never talk about the next obstacle until you have climbed the one in front
of you. For now, 100% of my concentration is on achieving the triathlon.
Supported by:
With the encouragement and presence of The Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee (BOIC) as well as:
