Ernst van Dyk was born with a congenital birth defect and as a kid competed in swimming, basketball and table tennis. When a coach introduced him to track and field he knew that racing was the sport for him. Ernst loves to go fast and as the 6 time winner of the Boston Marathon plus the first wheelchair racer to break 1h20 for the marathon, he certainly has proved this. He has won countless medals at the Paralympics,World Championships and has crossed the finish line first at every major marathon in the world including: New York City, LA, Paris, Boston, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Seoul, Oita, Oensingen and Schenkon Marathons.

• How do I get a chair, can I buy it off of E-bay?
  I would strongly advise against it. Getting a racing chair is not as simple as buying a bicycle. For the chair to work for you the fit needs to be perfect. The only way to get this done right is to be measured by somebody with experience and to have one custom built. If you go through this process the road to enjoying your sport will be so much smoother.
• How do I find someone with experience to measure me?
  Experienced representatives of Top End are often available at expos, racing events or by appointment right at the factory. Otherwise, other athletes and coaches are the next best thing. To make an appointment or to find out what events we will attending please contact us.
• What about Gloves?
  If you are new to the sport I would advise getting some of the pre-manufactured ones. There are a few brands on the market and there are also a couple of styles available. Once you master the technique of pushing a chair fast you might want to advance towards building your own. This is quite a difficult process and a very refined technique is required. Ask around for some building tips from those who have achieved success on these.
• What kind of wheels should I be using?
  The sport has advanced to the point where nobody really uses metal spoked-wheels anymore. So I would advise getting a set of Carbon Fiber disk wheels or 3 or 4 spoke carbon wheels. They are light, stiff and durable
• What do I put onto the pushrims to push on?
  Here you have two options. Either a tire can be cut up and glued onto the rim using contact cement or you can order some purposely made pushrim rubber. The tire will be cheaper but it will not last that long. The rubber you can buy goes on much easier and is very durable. Top End uses this durable pushrim rubber on all their racing pushrims and it is standard when ordering a racing chair
• How do I approach training?
  It depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you would like to be a weekend warrior doing local fun rides and 10k’s you can probably get a way with 3 – 4 training sessions a week of around 6- 8 miles each. If you however would like to get onto the racing circuit, I would suggest getting a program. You will probably have to train around 100 – 150miles per week to be able to be competitive in these events as most of them will be marathons of up to 26 miles. You can basically follow a runner’s program doing stuff like intervals, hills and over speed as the approach in training is very similar but the volume (amount) of training from these generic runners programs might not be enough for wheelchair racing. Best solution is to get a coach with experience!
• What length chair should I look at?
  That depends on a few factors. Track racers like a little shorter chair as it is easier to maneuver in the pack in the narrow lanes. On the other side road racers like their chairs a little longer as it gives more stability on bumpy roads and high speeds. Then there is also your trunk length to consider. If you are shorter you will find it hard to control a long chair and if you are tall you will feel cramped up on a short chair. So take all these factors into consideration but I would suggest not longer than 77 inches.
• What size pushrims should I be using?
  Again this depends on your area of focus. If you are a track racer you will opt for a smaller pushrim because this lends to a higher top speed which is really beneficial in the sprints. If you are going to be a road racer you will need a bigger pushrim to power over the hill. It’s however important to make sure that you can comfortably reach the bottom of the pushrim during your stroke as this is the area on the pushrim where you generate a lot of speed and momentum.
• What degree of camber should I go for?
  Camber allows us to reach to bottom of the pushrim without hurting our upper arms. It also gives the racer a wider wheelbase therefore stabilizing it around tight corners. The problem with big camber like 15 degrees is that it’s very tricky to set the toe in/out to where the chair rolls really well. Most racers these days opt for 11 – 13 degrees.
• How do I find out about upcoming races, more training tips and chair set-up?
  For specific racing chair questions simply fill out the contact us form form and I will get back to you. Upcoming events and news can be found at www.wcracing.net and my web site is www.ernstvdyk.co.za.