Shaun Whitbread and Graham Lewis are ready to prove that physical disability is no barrier to endurance. Both will compete in this year’s City-Bay Fun Run, to be held on Sunday 21 September, as part of a team organised by Enable Fitness Centre.
Enable Fitness is a South Australian gym dedicated to accessible training for people with disabilities.
Whitbread lives with a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and above-knee amputation and faces many challenges with daily activities. He is passionate about keeping fit and strong, and participating in sports, including wheelchair basketball and football.
His ambitions are supported by the team at Enable. Whitbread has been a client there for six years, accessing regular exercise physiology and physiotherapy sessions. Together they work on strength, fitness and mobility to support both his daily living and sporting pursuits.
“Therapy at Enable is an important part of my life, helping to maintain my fitness and strength in a positive and fun atmosphere,” he said.
Racing in the City-Bay is important to Whitbread because it challenges and motivates him, and he feels very supported by Enable.
“Enable is an integral part of my ability to participate, with all the clinicians motivating me and using their expertise to help me reach my goals. I’m also confident and comfortable knowing that on race day, a team and community are supporting me.”
Meanwhile, Lewis has his own story and motivations. He lives with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following a stem-cell transplant a decade ago to treat blood cancer. The condition left him disabled and he now uses a wheelchair.
After starting at Enable Fitness thirty months ago, he has seen steady progress. After training consistently and using an Alinker walking bike, Lewis is ready for his second City-Bay, many decades after his first.
“I used to have such limited mobility that something like this was unthinkable,” he explained.
“Not long ago, I joked to a friend about being able to do it again, not really thinking it was possible. Now here I am.”
Enable Fitness was founded in 2019 by Ross Gray and Zoe Darling, and has since grown to four locations where members are encouraged to make the most of their abilities, no matter the challenges they face.
“We are proud to showcase the strength, determination, and community spirit of people living with disability, bringing together our clients and staff in an inclusive and empowering way,” said Gray, founder and clinical services manager at Enable.
“Facilitating a team and supporting our clients to attend events like the City-Bay is what Enable is all about – building our community and breaking down barriers for people with disabilities. We help clients achieve their goals, and for some that means pushing the limits in sport, which makes the City-Bay the perfect stage to showcase their hard work and celebrate ability, health, and unity.”