66-Year-Old Races Triathlon After Shattering Both Legs

After falling 4 meters from a yacht in 2019 and shattering both legs, Dennis Devereaux lay in a hospital bed convinced his triathlon days were over. This weekend, the 66-year-old from Bunbury will compete in a 2-kilometer swim, 80-kilometer cycle, and 18-kilometer run at Western Australia's largest triathlon festival in over a decade.

Devereaux's journey back to competition started with a borrowed racing wheelchair and advice from Paralympic athletes. Despite 15 bolts, three plates in each leg, and a fused ankle, he refused to let the injury stop him from the Sydney Marathon he'd already registered for.

Since then, he's competed in marathons, triathlons, and even an ultraman event featuring a 10-kilometer ocean swim, 421-kilometer bike ride, and 84-kilometer run. His determination transformed what could have been a tragic ending into a new chapter of possibility.

This year's Busselton Festival of Triathlon marks 25 years since finding its permanent home in the South West coastal town. Nearly 3,000 participants will compete this weekend, with more than 750 racing their very first triathlon.

The festival's growth reflects a broader surge in endurance sports, particularly following the pandemic when running became one of the few activities people could safely continue. Triathlon WA executive director Mel Farley says many long-distance runners naturally gravitate toward triathlon as their next challenge.

Devereaux, who helped found one of Western Australia's first triathlon clubs in Bunbury back in 1983, has watched the sport evolve dramatically. What started as 20 members racing without helmets or wetsuits on whatever bikes they owned has grown into a 300-member club with professional-grade equipment and safety standards.

Why This Inspires

Devereaux will race this year as an official ambassador, creating visibility for athletes competing in chairs. He hopes his presence shows people with physical or mental challenges that competitive sports remain within reach, not despite their conditions but alongside them.

"I see the joy that a lot of the junior wheelchair athletes get out of participating in races," he says, his own comeback story proving that setbacks don't have to mean endings.

This weekend in Busselton, thousands will push their physical limits, but Devereaux's story reminds us that sometimes the biggest victories happen when we refuse to accept our perceived limitations.