HARRISBURG, Pa. -
Craig Dietz is a competitive swimmer who knows how to power through a pool. In fact, he just finished a grueling three-hour swim across the Chesapeake Bay.
There's one other thing you might want to know about Dietz - he has no arms and no legs. He was born that way.
"My parents and my siblings raised me up not to feel that I was any different than anybody else and that I could do anything I wanted to," says Dietz.
Dietz grew up in Pennsylvania and he has always been active. He has been bowling for years. He went to college and then earned a law degree. But eventually, he was wishing for a new challenge.
"I've always just been somebody that always looks for the next adventure, the next way to challenge myself and push myself," he says.
He was living in Pittsburgh at the time and decided to try a triathlon there. Friends did the biking and running. Dietz did the swimming. His reaction when he came out of the water: "Can I go again?"
He has been at it ever since.
"What I didn't anticipate was loving it the way I ended up loving it," he says. "In that first race when finished that swim, it was such a rush."
Dietz works out at a pool in Harrisburg, Pa. near where he lives.
By now, you may be wondering exactly how all this works. He makes his way to the edge of the pool. He uses a flipper.
"Just standard order off a swimming website," Dietz says.
He attaches the flipper to the small stump where his right leg would be. Then he takes the plunge.
Dietz says he swims a little like a dolphin.
He tried the bay swim last year, but the swimmers were pulled from the water because of lightning. Even so, to use his words, "The bay kicked my butt last year - big time."
That's why he's been back in the pool four to five times a week getting ready for this year's swim.
As usual, he got a few funny looks from other competitors at the start of the race.
"There were several people that kind of looked at me with a question mark and they're like 'Are you swimming this?"' Dietz says. ‘"Yeah. I'm going to give it a shot' and then they're like, 'Wow, that's pretty freaking cool."'
And it was.
"It's a roller coaster honestly," he says.
A 4.4 mile long roller coaster. His main goal was simply to complete the race. He did much more.
"When I came up to the finish and saw I was at three hours, I was just elated," says Dietz. "I was in disbelief myself. I really didn't think I'd be able to get through it that fast and then I look out in the water and I still see people coming in. It sets it off even more of ‘Wow, I really actually did better than I expected to do."'
To get to the finish line, he had to climb a steep hill back on land. But in life, he's climbed right over pretty much every obstacle.
"People say, 'Oh, I'm never going to complain about having a sore ankle again' because that implies that I've got it really bad. And I've never really thought I've had that bad of a life," he says.
In fact, life has been pretty good. He's married and does motivational speaking. And if along the way he opens a few doors for others, that's just fine with him.
"I'm glad that me living my life and doing what I do - I'm glad that a side effect of that is that people see me and get inspired to do something on their own," Dietz says. "But being an inspiration is never been what's driven me. What drives me is it's what I want to do. It's how I want to live my life. I want to push myself. I want to challenge myself."
One of the challenges was figuring out how to get around. Dietz never goes anywhere without his sense of humor. His "Look Mom No Hands" license plate was a gift from his mother. He also has a special van.
"I just put my right shoulder stub down on the joystick," he says.
The steering wheel moves without being touched directly. He controls the turn signals with his head. Just like in the pool, he is finding a way to get things done.
Online:
http://www.craigdietzspeaks.com/
Craig Dietz
Craig Dietz
