Derek Rae will be an unbeatable force in this year’s Paralympic Championships in Tokyo.  He is 2nd ranked in the world with a current PB in the Marathon is 2hours 27.08, which is about to be smashed, yet again in the Dubai marathon in 6 days time.  

9.5 Years ago Derek’s motorbike collided with an artiulcated lorry and left him with debilitating injuries to his right side.  He spent 5 days in a coma with his family surrounding him as doctors prepared them for the worst.  Derek’s shoulder joint was pulled 6 inches from his body, tractioned and severing his major nerve group to his arm.  He had an open fracture to his arm, his shoulder blade, clavicle, broke all of his ribs on one side, he had a collapsed lung and had severe brain bleeding. Derek’s life was irreversibly changed.

During the extensive period of rehabilitation Derek’s focus was one day at a time, small goals to become independent.  Spurred on by his wife, Susan, he had to re-learn how to tie his shoes, how to walk again and to get dressed; all skills we take for granted.  He admits he was in a dark hole and in denial about his injures.  He was self-conscious about his arm and initially this lowered his confidence. Before having a nerve graft he would have preferred his arm to be amputated.

Now Derek has regained less than 25% muscle function of his right arm, when he runs without a sling it is unsupported and feels like ‘not his own’.  The sling enabled him to try jogging during the early stages of rehabilitation.  The endorphins he got from running his first few steps around a football pitch have yet to be matched.  He then knew his focus would be running. “It is not often I reminisce about myself and my past, but I am very proud of myself for how far I have come. Sitting here today, here in Kenya tapering before my next race I feel I am incredibly grateful to my surgeons, nurses, therapists, family and especially to Susan, together they inspire me to be the best I can be and to repay them for all they have given me.”  He admits his perceptions have changed as well as his pain tolerance aiding him in the gruelling marathons.

Will Derek be satisfied when he realises his Tokyo medal? “I would always like to reach for more, but am always satisfied with what I have achieved. As I was in intensive care fighting for my life  to be here in Kenya training for an elite sport is the experience of real satisfaction – actually a dream come true.”

Derek’s top tips for goal setting and mindset:

1: Patience: An awareness that success doesn’t happen overnight.  This year’s goal is Tokyo but the real build up and preparation started 3.5 years ago straight after the Rio Paralympic Championships

2: Self-Belief: Goals are unachieveable if you don’t have the self-belief and trust that you will get there. If you belief in yourself, the team you have around you will be unstoppable.

3: Passion:  Being passionate feeds into your enjoyment for what you do and your journey.  It helps you not to lose sight of your goals and the reasoning behind them.  “It gives me an immense sense of pride to be passing on my enthusiasm and passion of running to those I meet.”

“I feel very privileged to be representing Great Britain and honoured to be Paralympic athlete”

Derek loves running as his result is completely reliant on him.  “If I train hard and focus I will succeed as I am control of what I do and how I perform.  I wouldn’t change my accident, I wouldn’t change the outcome of my races in Rio that didn’t go so well, it is the accumulation of hard experiences that enabled me to grow and be where I am today.“

“I want to go to the Paralympics Championships in Paris in 2024 as its the 50th anniversary of the Games and in the lead up I will be in my prime, maturing as an athlete.  I would go to the following in LA, 2020 if they want to take pensioners!”

To help rediscover your patience, your self-belief and passion for everything you do contact us at Kea Insight