CARLSBAD — When Erica Davis became the first woman to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair, she was just starting to reach the peak of her athletic accomplishments.
The conquest two years ago only spurred the Carlsbad resident to intensify her ongoing training as a paratriathlete. Now she’s among the world’s best in her class with a long-range target of competing when the event becomes an Olympic sport in 2016 and likewise is included in the Paralympics.
Davis, a first-time national champion, placed fifth in her initial venture to the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships on Oct. 15 in Auckland, New Zealand, in the field for paraplegic women.
“It definitely makes me want to do the sport more,” said Davis, 31, who has been involved in triathlons on and off for five years. “There’s some tough competition out there, so of course, it just makes you want to up your game.”
Davis last walked on Dec. 31, 2005, when she was affected by a leak from blood vessels near her spinal cord. The condition known as cavernous hemangioma left her paralyzed from the chest down. Still, it couldn’t stop her from continuing an athletic lifestyle.
In the fourth grade, Davis started running 5-kilometer races. During high school, she especially enjoyed playing competitive flag football at the Lodi Academy, named after her hometown, as well as competing in volleyball, basketball and softball.
The triathlon followed through the encouragement of a friend when Davis taught PE in Hawaii. Then it again lured her when she moved to Carlsbad in 2007 for physical therapy and found herself in a mecca of the sport.
“Erica’s a very adventurous young woman,” said Sandi Rush, of Fallbrook, a fellow parathlete who trains weekly with Davis. “She’s up to any challenge that anyone puts in front of her. Also, she’s very focused and determined in her training. She’s just an all-around great person.”
The 5-foot-6 Davis received her first racing chair from the Challenged Athletes Foundation, based in San Diego, and it was partly through that association that she became involved in the Mount Kilimanjaro expedition.
“I wanted to be a trailblazer and make the way easier for others so that they can do it, too,” Davis said. “In a sense, that goes back to when my injury happened, and we didn’t exactly have a whole lot of help from (government) social workers. If I have to climb a big mountain to do that, then I will.”
Davis completed the Mount Kilimanjaro climb in six days in January 2010 as part of a team junket. She’s since received suggestions that she also try scaling other mountains, yet she’s more intent on the triathlon.
In the nationals this year, Davis prevailed with a time of 1:45:57 in Austin, Texas, on May 23 over a course that included a 750-meter swim, 20K bike ride and 5K race.
There were cold waters at the world championships, so much so that the swim leg was shortened to 300 meters. Davis finished in 1:25:35, while Great Britain’s Karen Darke placed first in 1:06:58.
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