Kelley Fox
Kelley Fox
Resides: Denver, CO
Resides: Denver, CO
As a member of the US Disabled Ski Team, Kelley won two Silver medals in the 1994 Paralympics in Lillehammer Norway, (one in the Downhill event and one in the Slalom event) and won a Gold medal at the World Championships in Lech, Austria in 1996. At the time she raced, she was in the top three women sit skiers in the world and second nationally.
After her retirement, Kelley worked in the non-profit field working with victim service agencies. She went back to school and got her second degree in Interior Design in 2004 and now has her own interior design business. She mainly focuses on high end residential design in the Denver area and particularly loves accessible or Universal Design.
This will be her first Million Dollar Challenge, but not her first endurance cycling event. She and her friend Muffy Davis both crushed the Ride the Rockies event which was a 400+ mile ride across Colorado mountain passes. Kelley sees her participation and fundraising for CAF as a great way to help others in the same situation she found herself in almost 21 years ago. Sports, in particular skiing, changed her life after her accident and helped her to become the person she is today. She has a beautiful 10 year old daughter who is the light of her life and one of her biggest supporters for this ride. We are excited to have Kelley with us as part of the MDC family and want her to know many people are rooting for her!
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David Lee
Age: 41
Resides: Cardiff, CA
Age: 41
Resides: Cardiff, CA
David was a Biology/Kinesiology double major at the University of Colorado, Boulder when he was struck by a car while riding a motorcycle. Although the accident left him as a T6 paraplegic he doesn’t stop playing sports because he believes athletics make him feel alive. After his first wheelchair race (The Bolder Boulder 10K) he went on to complete more than 40 marathons, winning eight of them. He was still not content and decided to add another discipline to an already intense training schedule so that he could attempt the Chicago Sun-Times Triathlon. Lee dominated his goal of competing in the Ironman, racing in Ironman Canada for four consecutive years (1995-1999), but he was forced to retire from the triathlon after being hit by a car in November 1999 while he was training for Ironman New Zealand near his home in California.
The next few years were tough for Lee, as he lost his left kidney and fractured both his L1 and L2 vertebrae when his spine collapsed in August 2002. After the collapse, he required extensive experimental surgery to repair the shattered spinal column. The August 2002 surgery failed, requiring further experimental surgery the following January.
After a long rehabilitation, David entered a grueling handcycle race in Alaska. In Challenge Alaska, he placed second then entered another handcycle race in Redlands, California where he crushed his competition. Along with winning his division in Sadler’s Ultra Challenge, David competed in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing in the Time Trial and Road Race events. The rest is history and Lee is now a well-known figure on the international handcycling stage. David has participated in the MDC for four consecutive years and he will ride down the coast for the fifth time this October… What a rockstar!
The next few years were tough for Lee, as he lost his left kidney and fractured both his L1 and L2 vertebrae when his spine collapsed in August 2002. After the collapse, he required extensive experimental surgery to repair the shattered spinal column. The August 2002 surgery failed, requiring further experimental surgery the following January.
After a long rehabilitation, David entered a grueling handcycle race in Alaska. In Challenge Alaska, he placed second then entered another handcycle race in Redlands, California where he crushed his competition. Along with winning his division in Sadler’s Ultra Challenge, David competed in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing in the Time Trial and Road Race events. The rest is history and Lee is now a well-known figure on the international handcycling stage. David has participated in the MDC for four consecutive years and he will ride down the coast for the fifth time this October… What a rockstar!
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Duane Wagner
Duane WagnerAge: 63
Resides: Mesa, AZ
Resides: Mesa, AZ
Duane was born and raised in Arizona. In 1966, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman and subsequently was deployed to Vietnam. Duane served as a member of a Combat Action Company to provide security and medical care to villagers in Quang Tri Province.
In the early morning hours of May 15, 1967, Duane’s company was attacked by enemy mortar and small arms fire. Close combat quickly ensued and Duane was hit by an enemy hand grenade that blew off both of his legs below the knee. Though severely wounded, he dragged himself and another injured Marine to safety. For his actions, Duane was awarded the Silver Star.
Upon returning to the U.S., Duane was told by doctors that he would never walk again. He defied the doctors the very first day he received his prosthetic legs, walking without the aid of a cane or crutches. He then began riding a bike every day and soon became an elite long-distance cyclist. In 2008, Duane became a member of CAF Operation Rebound and now serves as a mentor to many newly injured veterans, supporting their efforts to become active again after experiencing traumatic injuries like he did.
Duane does not consider himself disabled, rather sees it as “just an inconvenience, some put on eye glasses to help them read, I put on my legs and ride.” After 25 years of cycling, he continues to demonstrate that losing his legs won’t slow him down! This will be Duane’s third MDC and when asked why he enjoys participation in CAF events, Duane responded, “To show people that life goes on.” –Duane Wagner.
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Steven Peace
Steven PeaceAge: 36
Resides: San Diego, CA
Lieutenant Commander Steven Peace attended the US Naval Academy and continued on to Naval Postgraduate School to complete his Master’s degree in Systems Engineering. For 16 years, Steven held various titles and offices in the Navy including Electrical Officer, Navigator, Surface Tactics Officer, Associate Fellow and Weapons Officer. His career spanned 48 states and 34 countries including 5 years in Japan.
On the night of October 16, 2006, Steven suffered an Itracranial Hemorrhage and was not found for approximately 14 hours after the stroke. For six months, he couldn’t move or even speak. Some figured he’d never walk again. While undergoing therapy at Balboa Naval Hospital, Peace heard about Operation Rebound, the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s program for injured veterans, troops and first responders. He was motivated to move forward, to reinvent himself.
Unable to return to his Naval career, Steven found a new passion in cycling. With the help of an equipment grant from CAF, Peace received a modified Trek 5.2. The two rear wheels are linked by an axle; with a push button shifter. He travels all over the country doing cycling and triathlon camps with both CAF and the Wounded Warrior Project. He recently won the time trail national title and will go on to compete in the Para-cycling World Championships later this month. This is the first MDC Steven will participate in and says, “this is, by far the largest athletic challenge I have chosen to take on”. We know he can do it!
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Shelby Madden
Shelby Madden
Resides: San Diego, CAIt's not fair to ask me why I love CAF and then tell me to say it all in a couple of sentences; that's impossible! It was through watching CAF athletes compete that I discovered a new way of experiencing athleticism; one that I could approach and be a part of. A combination of CAF athletes and close friends and family encouraged me to get involved in the sport of triathlon, thus beginning the slow process of learning how to operate my fragile machinery without constantly breaking it (meaning my body!)
Furthermore, the generous gift of a CAF grant assisted me in purchasing a much‐needed custom fit bike after every bike fit ended with, "Sorry, but I really think you're going to need a custom fit bike." This foundation has forever enriched my life and I am eternally grateful for the friendships, support and opportunities CAF has brought me over the past 2 years.
I wanted to ride and I wanted to ride far. The first time I rode 50 miles I felt like Super Smurf! I was in pain for days but for the first time in my life, I thought I might be able to do a century one day. Last year, I was invited to participate in some of the MDC training rides as a guest. As I got to talking to some of the riders, I knew I was in trouble when my heart started pounding my experience has taught me that this is a clear indication I'm about to attempt something that scares me just enough to make me want to do it. The idea that I could raise money and awareness to help others access the level of sport I was now participating in AND attempt something far beyond anything I've ever even imagined, physically, was just too good to pass up. So here I am! To date, I still haven't completed a century but I've somehow managed to get myself committed to a 620 mile ride. I'm excited (and a wee bit scared!) for this opportunity to give back to CAF and to meet this interesting challenge in the process.
At age 4, I was diagnosed with a bone dysplasia that would keep me from growing beyond my statuesque 4'5". While this has led to some limitations and many, many modifications, it has never kept me from experiencing this life as the gift it was meant to be; if anything, this crazy little vessel has only enhanced it. Getting to know all the new riders, hearing their stories, and participating in the Million Dollar Challenge is like finding yet another present under the tree and I can't wait to open it! (I just hope it comes with extra batteries, though, 'cuz mine might run out somewhere near Santa Barbara.)
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Chris Self
Chris SelfAge: 43
Resides: Clarksville, TN
Resides: Clarksville, TN
Master Sergeant Chris Self is a 22 year United States Army veteran. In December 2005, while serving in Iraq, Chris sustained gunshot wounds to both legs during a combat operation. One bullet severed the sciatic nerve in his right leg, which left him paralyzed.
Prior to his injury, Chris was extremely active. He competed in triathlons, cycling events, and ran in numerous marathons. He was especially active with his three children who love to play and hang out with their Dad.
Chris was determined not to let his injury slow him down. With his wife Dana by his side, Chris made the decision to have his paralyzed right leg amputated. On July 13, 2006, seven months after he was wounded, Chris endured a successful surgery to remove his right leg.
With the help of CAF Operation Rebound and his own determination, Chris is now back to the active lifestyle he had known prior to his injury. Chris is currently deployed and training indoors for the MDC! He will be riding tandem down the coast with Gil Magallanes, the first military tandem team to attempt the ride. Chris’ resilience and positive attitude highlight what he and other injured troops are capable of doing when given the opportunity
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Muffy Davis
Muffy was practically born on skis. She began skiing when she was three and began ski racing when she was seven. Unfortunately tragedy struck in February of 1989. While downhill training in her hometown of Sun Valley, ID, Muffy went off course and slammed into a tree, crushing her back and resulting in complete paraplegia. Feeling as though she had unfinished business on the race course, after her college graduation in 1995, Muffy decided to give ski racing another shot! Since then, Muffy has consistently improved and excelled in disabled ski racing and anything else she put her mind to. After winning 3 silver medals in the 2002 Paralympics, she retired from the US Disabled Ski Team to pursue other dreams. In 2005, CAF awarded Muffy and her husband a travel grant so that they could teach adaptive sports to people with disabilities in emergent countries all over the world.
Upon returning from their trip, she remained active in adaptive sports by participating in numerous handcycle rides including a 5 day mountain bike ride on the 100 mile White Rim trail in Utah. With great tenacity and encouragement, she is pursuing her new goal of competing in the 2016 Paralympics. She just returned from winning the women’s handcycle time trial at Nationals, which secured her slot on the US Adaptive Cycling team and a spot at the Para-cycling World Championships in Baie Comeau, Canada. Needless to say, Muffy’s dedication and ability is awe-inspiring!
Muffy Davis has been handcycling for eight years, this will be her first Million Dollar Challenge. We asked her thoughts on training for the Million Dollar Challenge:
“I can totally feel my fitness improving as I ride more, and my average mph has really increased! I am so thankful for this opportunity, there is nothing better than getting on your bike and just going, pushing yourself to be your best and give it your all! Wish I could be there to train with the rest of the MDC gang, but I can't wait to meet everyone in Oct!!!” –Muffy Davis
Paul Bradbury
Paul BradburyAge: 41
Resides: Slough, England
Paul has always been keen on partaking in sports. As a young boy, he was a cross country runner as well as a soccer goalkeeper and striker. After leaving school at the age of 16, Paul worked amusing jobs with carnival marquees, fair side stalls and entertainment productions. He entered the fitness industry a few years later, starting off as a part time gym instructor and developing into a long standing personal trainer. Nowadays, he trains people of all different levels, from first time exercisers to top UK Olympians.
In 1995, when he was 26 years old, Paul was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). His life up to that point had been good and a small thing called MS wasn’t going to make that much of a difference. He decided to live by the words of one of the greatest UK comedians who said, “We all have this terminal disease called Death, so just run with it”. Sure enough, Paul ran with it. He continued as a personal trainer and became part of the World Krankcycle team. He stumbled into acting and is now in one of the biggest soaps in the UK.
“We all have paths to take in our lives. Fun is what life is all about. If you can smile, it infects others to smile with you.” –Paul Bradbury
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Gilbert Magallanes
Gil Magallanes Jr. Age: 46
Resides: Clarksville, TN
Master Sergeant (retired) Gil Magallanes Jr. served as a Green Beret in the United States Army for 21 years and was on active duty in both the Gulf War and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. On December 5, 2001, while Gil’s team was guarding the President of Afghanistan, a 2000 pound bomb was mistakenly dropped on his team’s position and he was injured by friendly fire.
Gil sustained an open traumatic brain injury with partial loss of his skull and brain matter, neck and back fractures and multiple organ traumas. He was left with permanent brain damage as well as cognitive, seizure and migraine disorders. Along with vision impairment resulting in left field blindness, he completely lost two fingers and severed nerves in part of his left hand.
Gil endured multiple surgeries and lengthy hospitalizations to recover and rehabilitate from the many wounds he received in action. Needless to say, he was devastated to find that his injuries were too significant for him to continue his career as a Green Beret and that he would have to medically retire. After a lot of motivation, dedication and determination, Gil was able to overcome significant hurdles related to the severity of his injuries and found himself back in competition with the help of CAF. In June, 2008, Gil began once again to pursue his passion for archery and took up other sports such as javelin and triathlon. He attended an archery camp for archers with vision impairments, he won a gold medal in javelin at the State Games of the West in Colorado, and he completed his first sprint triathlon. Since then, he has completed the Silverman Half-Distance Triathlon relay, the Augusta Ironman relay, and the 1.2 mile swim legs of the 2008 and 2009 SDTC.
Although Gil is currently in Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Failure and will eventually require a kidney transplant, he is still training and planning for what he thinks will be his busiest year yet. In addition to pursuing his passion for traditional archery, he hopes to complete his first 70.3 Ironman doing the 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run in Augusta, CA. Gil will be teaming up with fellow combat wounded Green Beret, Chris Self, to undertake the MDC on a tandem bike. We admire Gil’s unfailing determination and wish him the best in the MDC
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Matt Bigos
Matt Bigos, Age: 27
Resides: Cardiff, CA
In June 2003, after a ten year career in motocross, Matt Bigos was involved in a car accident. His injuries left him paraplegic and he was told that he would never walk again. With great hope and an unstoppable work ethic, he endured long hours in outpatient physical therapy and slowly began taking steps. One year post injury, he was walking with a cane and after continued rehab, he began riding a bicycle again. He turned his passion and focus on cycling and has been vastly improving for 3 years. After racing a few triathlons, Matt was invited to attend a Paralympics cycling camp at the Olympic training center. Soon thereafter, he competed in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics Cycling qualifier. Matt has gained so much confidence from his progress and believes he has what it takes to eventually be able to compete in London at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
Matt received a competition grant last year from CAF, allowing him to compete in many more events than he previously thought possible. Throughout the 2009 season he raced in over 30 road races, criteriums, and time trials. He also participated in several charity events including the San Diego Triathlon Challenge and the MS society 2 day Santa Barbara ride. We are very proud of Matt as he finished sixth place in two events in the US Paralympic National Track championships and finished seventh place in the US Paralympic National Road Championships (only one place below qualifying for the Paralympic World Championship).
“CAF helps me do what I love, racing. But much more than that, CAF’s support allows me to be a part of promoting awareness for disabled sports.” –Matt Bigos
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Fred LiebelAge: 55
Resides: San Diego, CA
Resides: San Diego, CA
Riders from the San Diego area are lucky enough to know and ride with Fred. Each year on the anniversary of his injury, he shares with us the story of how his life changed “in an instant”. His story is one marked by determination, changed perceptions and the power to reinvent yourself. Instead of being a man with a disability, Fred is a world class athlete and mentor.
An avid monoskier, handcyclist and triathlete, Fred spends most of his free time as a volunteer with a number of San Diego agencies that promote sports and recreation programs for children with disabilities.
Currently, Fred is a Board member of the US Adaptive Recreation Center in Big Bear, California and an active Level II Adaptive Professional Ski Instructor at Bear Mountain and Mammoth Mountain in California. He is also currently a Board Member and Director of Weights and Measures for Athletes Helping Athletes, which is a non-profit organization in San Diego that funds adaptive bicycles for children with disabilities. He volunteers with the San Diego Adaptive Sports Foundation, specializing in adaptive sports activities for children, voluntarily works with recently wounded veterans at the Naval Hospital in San Diego, instructing sports and handcycling programs and mentors recently injured adults in the HeadNorth Foundation.
Along with all of Fred’s volunteer work, he has participated in over 50 marathons, 15 triathlons and numerous road races as a disabled cyclist and wheelchair racer. He has done 6 rides from Big Bear to Mammoth and this will be his third Million Dollar Challenge. We are so impressed with Fred and wonder, where does he find the time?
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