Name: Steven Currie
Age: 36
Occupation: Design Engineer
Tell us a little about your sporting history. Did you enjoy sport growing up?
I was very sporty growing up and loved it! I learnt to ski from an early age and throughout school I did most sports but the favourite was football. I played for a few good teams right up to my early 20s and then gave it up to focus on running and cycling and then eventually swimming for triathlon. Once the kids came along I stuck to running for a year or so and then cycle racing for 6months….
You had a life changing accident on the bike, tell us about that?
I crashed off the road in a cycle race and landed on my head resulting in severe bruising on my spinal cord from the neck down (C4) and paralyzing me. Face down in the grass and struggling to breathe I really started to panic and it’s the closest I’ve came to thinking my time is up.
Thankfully there just happened to be a female spectator close to where myself and another guy went off the road. With the help of motorbike marshall who also stopped they managed to log roll me and i could start to breathe easier.
40mins later I was getting driven away in an ambulance and in a lot of pain (I was too cold for them to find a vein to inject pain relief).
The next 3 months were spent in the spinal unit in Glasgow coming to terms with what had happened and trying to get basic function back.
You sound like you are a very lucky guy to still be able to walk, however you did not let this defeat you. What have you achieved since your accident?
I’ve had to relearn almost everything, I was being fed and washed the first 2 weeks and then once out of bed it was standing and walking from the wheelchair.
After being discharged i’ts been a slow and frustrating journey trying to build up strength and mobility. However, in the last 6 months I,ve managed a 10km run in 63mins and completed a tough standard distance triathlon!
Do you have any goals?
I’ve always got goals! ….next big one is probably a half marathon next year…then if I survive that I’ll attempt a half iron distance triathlon….but my running needs to get a lot stronger
If someone out there is struggling with a physical injury or mental health what would your advice be?
The key word for me over the last 2 years has been acceptance
On one hand you need to mentally accept what has happened and that even though you think the same you have a completely different body. On the other hand, you need to physically NOT accept what you’ve been left with and always strive for better.
Talking to someone about how you feel is also essential because if you don’t you will self-destruct, no matter how tough you think you are.
What do you love most about Three Hiit Wonder?
You can get it done in your jammies and fart as loud as you want and it doesn’t matter 😅
What are your two favourite THW exercises and your two least favourite?
Two favourite: Reverse Lunge and Heel Taps.
Two least favourite: High Knees, Punch the Sky and Walk Outs.
How has THW helped you in you?
It’s been a game changer, doing all the different exercises has increased my strength and mobility so much that everday life is now easy again. I’m even seeing improvements in my running, cycling and swimming too.
Give us one tip to stay motivated?
Write out a weekly plan of when you’re going to exercise.
Whats is your life tip to live by?
“Do today what others won’t and tomorrow you’ll do what others can’t.”
