Westlake Village ironman athlete pushes himself to the limit
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

Marc Aten does not complain, wallow in misery or hide in a shell.

Aten fights on.

The 33yearold recently completed his second Hawaii Ironman Triathlon- a physically grueling competition that consists of a 2.4mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run- and he did it without the use of his feet.

Aten, who lives in the Ventura County portion of Westlake Village, suffers from spina bifida, a congenital defect that affects the spinal column, and has been paralyzed below the knees since birth.

Beginning in May 2002, he was bedridden on and off for 18 months and his left foot was amputated.

None of that slowed him down.

He's just glad he was able to go the distance in the hot and windy conditions in Hawaii this year.

"It was a lot of work," said Aten, a Web developer at Cal State Channel Islands. "I ended up catching up to and passing a guy on the bike ride. . . . I'm amazed I finished. I gave it everything I had."

After opening the race with the swim, Aten used a hand cycle for the bike portion and a racing wheelchair for the run on his way to a third-place finish in his category.

He completed the triathlon in 13 hours, 8 minutes. Last year, in much more pleasant conditions, he placed second in 12:40.

For Aten, the triathlon is a way to push his body. "I enjoy the training and just the challenge," he said. "It gives me and my wife a chance to go out and do something together."

His wife, Tiffany Brenneman, is also there to cheer her husband on, even when he feels he can't go any farther.

"With 16 miles left in the run, I saw her run up a hill. She saw me struggling," Aten said. "I just wanted to quit and she said, 'Keep going! You're doing great. You only have 16 miles to go.' I didn't care if it's 16 miles or one mile, it's a lot left. It's so tiring."

The Moorpark High School and Moorpark College graduate trains all year long for various events.

Although he couldn't finish an Ironman race in Arizona in April because he suffered corneal abrasions in both eyes from strong winds, he earned a trip to the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii after qualifying at an event in Lubbock, Texas, in June.

He's currently training eight hours a week on a hand cycle and expects to run in his fifth Los Angeles Marathon in March.

Although Aten couldn't be active from May 2002 to 2004, he refused to sit still forever. He saw his friend Larry Leonard enjoy mountain bike and road race events, and he wanted to join the fun.

The friends competed in the Strawberry Fields Triathlon in Oxnard in 2006. The wind made the water so choppy that the triathletes walked through the water, and Leonard carried Aten during the swim portion.

Leonard has been impressed with how his friend has stared adversity in the face and persevered.

"He doesn't get to change muscles between events," Leonard said. "His arms are doing all the work.

"He's definitely an inspiration for a lot of us. He gives you insight into how fortunate most of us are when you see the motivation he has and the abilities he's lacking. It gives you something to think about. If you think, 'I can't do this' on something that is hard, all you have to do is look at Marc."