A bike race will take place on Sunday as part of the Myrtle Beach Marathon, but not everyone who races on wheels waits for that race.
A small group of Saturday’s marathoners competed in what's called a Crankchair.
One of those racers overcomes adversity every mile he completes.
In 2004, Retired Army Sergeant Ramon Guitard lost his right leg during his 2nd tour in Iraq. A few years later, he lost his other leg to infection.
“I was approached by an Achilles track club. They said, ‘Hey, you want to do marathons?’ I looked around and said, ‘I’m in a hospital bed, what do you mean?’ They said, ‘No you can do it. You can wheel, walk or run, and you can wheel,’” said Guitard.
Saturday, he finished his 8th marathon.
"When I do my marathon, I look at everyone that's around me. I put everything behind me, it doesn't dawn on me, [and] every care is to the wind. It’s not the mobility; it's the ability of the person,” said Guitard.
Guitard set a goal time of just over 2 hours for the 2012 Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon. He did not reach that goal Saturday, but he says that every race he completes is an accomplishment.
“I always go into it setting a goal, a standard. Maybe it's 150 percent, that way that 50 percent that's knocked off, I still made my 100 percent," Guitard said.
He says his disability is sometimes a disadvantage in a race.
"Today, I looked around at the start and I said, ‘Hey, it's unfair everyone has legs but me,’” Guitard said. “The hardest challenge is keeping myself upright because I slide a lot."
He doesn't stop, though. In fact, he even pays it forward. Guitard raced and raised money this weekend for the American Red Cross.
"Regardless of what the issue is, there's always a reason to continue on,” said Guitard.
Guitard says he plans to compete in another marathon in just a few weeks in Columbia where he currently resides.
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