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O J A I M AG A Z I N E | SPRING 2025
CAF Cyclists Cruise Ojai Raising funds and awareness for adaptive sports
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personal quest, supported by a community of athletes, turned into a 30-year odyssey of inspiration, achievement, and awareness of the plight and extraordinary tenacity of challenged athletes everywhere. A desire to help a friend in need segued into the creation of the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), a nonprofit organization that has raised more than $178 million, funding over 55,000 grants for individuals with physical disabilities in all 50 states and 70 countries across 105 different sports. CAF provides direct grants to athletes in need of adaptive athletic equipment, training, and travel support, and sponsors adaptive sports camps and clinics. Since 2005, CAF also provides support to veterans and first responders through Operation Rebound. Jim MacLaren was a phenom who inspired several of his triathlete friends, including Bob Babbitt, Jeffrey Essakow and Rick Kozlowski, to found CAF in 1994. MacLaren,
a former Yale University football player and athlete, lost his left leg below the knee at age 22 in 1985. In 1987, MacLaren completed the New York City marathon in three hours and 16 minutes, and in 1992, he completed the Ironman World Championship race in Hawaii in 10 hours and 42 minutes, which was a record for an amputee at the time and in the top 20% of all competitors. MacLaren suffered another accident in a cycling event in 1993, after which he became paralyzed and a high-level quadriplegic. MacLaren’s friends organized a fundraising event to raise $25,000 to purchase an adaptive van to allow MacLaren more independence. The inaugural 1994 San Diego Triathlon Challenge in La Jolla exceeded expectations, raising double its initial goal. At that time, “for an amputee to run a marathon was almost unheard of — it was before the high-tech running blades,” said CAF Board member Virginia Tinley. “He ran the marathon and had a great time. And afterwards, he said, ‘Okay, now I’m going to do the Hawaii Ironman.’ The Hawaii Ironman was thought to be even more insane for anybody, including able-bodied people.” Tinley was CAF’s first volunteer and employee, then executive director for 28 years. “The thing that took us by surprise was the number of challenged athletes who came to the event to show their respect to Jim because he had meant so much to them as a role model,” Tinley said. “We found out
story and photos by HOLLY ROBERTS
that adaptive sports equipment is not covered by insurance, and most couldn’t afford it. We thought …why don’t we just keep doing it, and we’ll put the money towards adaptive sports equipment for challenged athletes?” Long before the world saw Paralympic athletes in action, CAF was raising funds for athletes with physical disabilities to pursue dreams of participating and competing in recreational or elite competitions for Team USA.