Thirteen injured veterans joined thousands of athletes at the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside triathlon Saturday to fundraise for the Challenged Athletes Foundation's Operation Rebound program.
The program uses sports and fitness to help strengthen the mental and physical well-being of veterans, military personnel and first responders with permanent physical injuries
"We've been supporting our injured troops for the past decade by giving them the adaptive sports equipment, the mentorship and the support they need so they could re-engage in life," Challenged Athlete's chief executive director Virginia Tinley said.
The vets were joined by PBS news Correspondent Miles O'Brien, who lost his arm on assignment four years ago, and his son, a navy lieutenant.
Together with more than 5,000 other athletes, they swam 1.2 miles in Oceanside Harbor, cycled a 56-mile bike route through San Onofre State Park and Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton and ran 13.1 miles through Oceanside.
Operation Rebound has partnered with the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside triathlon for 10 years, which has raised more than $1 million and more than $150,000 so far this year.
