A leg to run, bike, swim in Issaquah Triathlon

Of the 1,442 participants in the Issaquah Triathlon Saturday, Ed Sproull had an additional challenge besides swimming, cycling and running — he literally had to change legs, or prostheses, for each segment.

Sproull, 54, of Bellevue, lost his left leg in a motorcycle accident in 1981 and decided last year (along with wife Linda) to attempt his first triathlon. Serious training began in September.

For the swim in Lake Sammamish, he had a regular prosthesis adapted with a foot that folds down and snaps in place. For the bicycle segment he simply put a cycling shoe, with cleat, onto his everyday carbon-fiber and titanium leg. For the running segment, he used a special prosthetic leg used by Paralympic runners.

And best of all, finishing with a time of 1 hour, 32 minutes and 34 seconds made it feel "exhilarating. I'm like dancing."

So, next week he'll be in his second triathlon.

The Issaquah Triathlon raises money for Arbor Montessori Schools and Summer Search leadership-development program.