一位坚强的爸爸

A devoted father has completed a triathlon carrying his 13-year-old cerebral palsy afflicted daughter across land and through water so that she could complete the gruelling event.

Rick van Beeks feat of endurance and the love for his daughter Madison have led many to call the man from Byron Center， Michigan the“Father of the Century”.

But it is not the first race of its kind for van Beek， who said he has participated in more than70 events， including half-marathons， triatalions and other outdoor races， as part of “Team Maddy”.

He and Maddy took part in a triathlon. Together they completed the 0.3-mile swim， 12.4-mile bike ride and 3.1-mile run， with Maddy pictured in her fathers arms as they transitioned from section to section.

For the swimming portion， van Beek tugs his daughter through the water in a kayak and then pulls her behind him in a cart as he cycles. He runs the last leg pushing her in a buggy.

Van Beek， 39， told the Midland Daily News that he wants to complete the events with his daughter， who is unable to walk or talk， because she adores being outside.

“She functions like a three-month-old， and one of the very few things that we know she enjoys is being outside， being in the water， feeling the breeze in her hair and in her face，”he said.

Maddy was diagnosed with cerebral palsy two months after she was born. “It was one of the worst days of our lives，” van Beek said. “Everybody prays that their children are healthy and for eight years I still wished that she had been a healthy child， but if she wouldnt have been like she is then we wouldnt be the people that we are today.”

His outlook changed when he saw his daughter taking part in a marathon more than four years ago， and saw the pure joy on her face.

“I watched my daughter Maddy being pushed in the Grand Rapids Marathon，” he repeated on his blog. “To see her being so happy and enjoying every bump in the road was more than could handle， my emotions took over. Shortly after that day I gave up smoking 2 packs a day and chewing a tin a day to be better， for Maddy. It has been a long road， with many bumps， but we are better. ”

In a bid to make his daughter happy， he began training for outdoor races in 2008. Van Beek， who was out of shape and a heavy smoker， also realised it would be beneficial for him.

一位尽职的父亲带着他患有脑瘫的13岁女儿，跋山涉水一起完成了累人的比赛。

瑞克·范·比克来自美国密歇根州拜伦中心，他完成的这项壮举展现了他惊人的耐力和对女儿麦迪逊深深的爱意，这使得许多人称他为“本世纪最佳父亲”。

但这不是范·比克第一次参加这种比赛了，他说他和女儿一起，以“麦蒂之队”的父女组名义参加过半程马拉松、铁人三项和许多别的户外运动。

他和女儿麦蒂一起参加了一个铁人三项比赛。他们一起完成了0.3英里的游泳、12.4英里的自行车骑行和3.1公里的跑步，比赛项目间交接时，麦蒂都会和父亲一起拍照留念。 在游泳部分，范·比克将女儿放在一个皮划艇中，边游边拖着皮划艇前进。在骑自行车时，比克将女儿放在车后的一个拖车里。跑步时，比克边跑边推着童车里的女儿前进。

现年39岁的范·比克告诉《米德兰每日新闻》说，他之所以想要和不能行走也不能說话的女儿一起完成这些项目是因为女儿特别喜欢待在户外。

比克说：“她的行为能力和三个月的婴儿一样，她喜欢做的事情也很少，但我们知道她喜欢待在户外，待在水中，感受吹在她头发和脸上的微风。”

在麦蒂出生后两个月，就被诊断为脑瘫。范·比克说：“这是我们一生中最糟糕的日子之一。每个人都祈祷自己的孩子是健康的，有八年时间我仍希望她是一个健康的孩子。但如果她是一个健康的孩子，我们也不会成为今天的自己了。”

比克的观点在四年前发生了变化，当他看到女儿参加马拉松比赛时，脸上那纯净的笑容。

比克在他的博客上重述了这个故事：“在大急流城马拉松比赛中，我的女儿被推着参加比赛。看到麦蒂这么开心，享受着路上的每一次颠簸，我的心被彻底打动，我被征服了。从那天开始，为了麦蒂，我每天嚼一罐口香糖来戒掉一天两包烟的坏习惯。这是一条充满艰辛的长路，但我们正变得更好。”

为了让女儿开心，范·比克在2008年开始参加户外长跑锻炼。曾经是有很大烟瘾而且很肥胖的范·比克，也同样意识到锻炼对他很有好处。