Ed Hauanio
Wheelchair Athlete
Aloha!
In the 1970s I was in a construction accident while working as an ironworker on a skyscraper in Southern California. An I-beam fell on me, crushing my spine and making me a paraplegic. The months and years after were rough, for me and everyone around me. After months in the hospital, move to the Midwest, and a divorce—I needed a change.
When I moved back to Hawaii, my Ohana (family) was at the airport to greet me and that felt great. Honolulu is where I started to get into wheelchair sports. I met some other braddahs and we would train together. We trained at University of Hawaii and soon were challenging the ABs (able-bodied) runners on the outer island. I loved working out and training, it felt great!
I raced many places through the years. The Honolulu Marathon was my first, then about 20 more after that. I raced all over the United States and abroad.
I’m in my 70s now. I miss the training. It was a lot of hard work but it made me feel so good.
