Mackenzie Woodring, Gold Medalist in Cycling

The Summer Paralympics are this week in London, England. Athletes from all over the world compete in 20 sports and 500 events. The games are held in London using the same venues as the Olympic Games 2012. The highly skilled athletes who compete in the paralympic games have physical disabilities.

Mackenzie Woodring, athlete

Team USA members Mackenzie Woodring and  Karissa Whitsell won gold, silver and bronze medals in cycling in the 2008 Paralympics held in Beijing, China. Mackenzie and Karissa raced a tandem bicycle which seats two riders. Mackenzie was the pilot on this team because Karissa is blind/visually impaired. This team combines their athletic skills into a powerful duo to race competitors from many countries.

Mackenzie joined the U.S. Paralympics team to partner with Karissa. Not only did they medal three times at the Paralympics, they set a world record in cycling.

Mackenzie Woodring
I told Mackenzie I'd have to edit out the porta-potties in the back ground for the book,
 but she exclaimed,
 "Porta-potties are very important to racers!" So I left them in for this post. 

At this elite level of competition, Mackenzie has to keep training year round.  It is difficult for her to put in the ten to twenty hours of training each week because she also has a full time job as an engineer.  Ninety percent of the women who race need to work at another job.  The prize money for winning is not enough to depend on for a living.

 You can learn more about Mackenzie Woodring and her career in bicycle racing in the interactive e-book Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women which will be released this fall. Check back regularly to the Girls Succeed blog to learn more about careers and remarkable women and for updates on the e-book.

For more information about Mackenzie and the Paralympics click on the sites below:

2012 London Paralympics Games

Paralympic Cycling

Mackenzie's Goals