Yahoo Sport 
He couldn’t race the Marine Corps Marathon last year. Now, he’s trying again.
It was less than a week before the starting gun of the Marine Corps Marathon. Adam Devine was done with his arduous training regimen, but his anxieties were spiking.
The bilateral amputee had intended to compete in last year’s race, but had to pull out because of a leg infection.
Devine, 34, has enough on his mind these days: getting his kids to lacrosse and cross-country practice; making time for his other athletic passion, sled hockey; and tinkering with his recumbent handcycle to ensure it’s in tiptop shape, because he’ll be tackling 26.2 miles on three wheels.
Over the past seven months the Nokesville, Virginia resident has developed a ritual:
He parks his white Ford pickup at a local coffee shop or church.
He retrieves his handcycle from his truck bed and places it near his rear driver-side door.
He detaches his prostheses, tosses them into the vehicle, then shimmies onto the seat.
And then in one continuous rowing motion, he’s off.
On this day, Devine tackles a stretch of sidewalk along State Route 28 from Nokesville to Bristow, a 3½-mile rural route that he loops multiple times. His chest is still bruised after he collided with a sled hockey stick wielded by an opponent in a tournament.
The Marine corporal was on foot patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan, in December 2011 when he triggered an improvised explosive device. The detonation shredded his legs, and doctors later amputated his knees and lower limbs.
After the incident, “I was devastated mentally and went through depression,” he said.
About three years ago, Devine committed himself more to getting active. The native of Dixon, Illinois grew up playing ice hockey as a goalie, but had gained weight after taking an office job in IT and becoming a father.
Like many others, he picked up racing while stuck at home during the pandemic. In 2020, he handcycled in a virtual Marine Corps Marathon from home, but has been itching to tackle the in-person one.
“With handcycling, it’s a confidence boost,” Devine says. “Any day riding outside is better than being in an office.”
During his first attempt at the Marine Corps Marathon, he used a training program from Semper Fi & America’s Fund, a California-based organization that supports disabled veterans. But about five months into the program, an infection in his right leg wiped out that dream. The ensuing procedure, which included a skin graft, was one of more than 100 operations on his legs.
Devine still remembers how brutal that setback felt. He calls himself “a realist,” meaning he frequently thinks that something in his life will go wrong. But when that actually happened last year, “It was devastating.”
This time, he says, he wants to keep his mind as blank as possible before the race.
Handcycling offers its own challenges and rewards. Devine is used to working in teams, both in hockey and in the Marines, so training solo is something he’s had to get used to. But it’s worth it, he says.
“I’ve played hundreds of games of hockey,” Devine says. “I’m always nervous right before I go on the ice. So, I’m assuming it’s going to be the same thing sitting there at the starting line.”
Two days before the race, Devine parked his handcycle at the hotel where he and some other handcyclers would be staying. Caterers were assembling steam trays for a pasta dinner sponsored by Semper Fi & America’s Fund. Acupuncturists and physical therapists were on hand to relieve the athletes’ last-minute aches and pains.
Devine made sure his tires were pumped. He had a light and easy training ride the next day. Still, a thought crept in: What if a bike part broke?
Nearby, an indoor carnival was being constructed for competitors and their families to enjoy as the hours before race day wound down. Devine headed to bed at 9:30, but first wanted to call his family.
Devine’s son, wife and daughter are at his son’s lacrosse tournament in Maryland, so they won’t be at the marathon to cheer him on. That doesn’t bother him, he says; he’ll try to catch up with them later in the day.
He’s not racing to win.
He’s racing to prove that he can cross the finish line.
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