Hanger Clinic Athletes Compete at the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships

July 23, 2021

2021 • Hanger Clinic

Long Beach, Calif. – July 23, 2021 – On Sunday, paratriathletes from around the country competed for the national title at the Toyota USA Paratriathlon Championships in Long Beach, California. Among them were three athletes who receive custom lower extremity prosthetic care from Hanger Clinic clinicians.

Erik Hultquist, of Phoenix, Arizona, and Robert Rodriguez, of Long Island, New York, placed 2nd and 6th, respectively, in the men’s professional category. Korene Varano, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, completed the race in the women’s open category.

Leading up to the event, Rodriguez and Varano spoke to local media in their areas about what led them to the sport. Rodriguez shared with News 12 Long Island that the pandemic and temporary pause of team sports prompted him to take up paratriathlon training eight months ago, as a new challenge he could tackle individually.

Earlier this month, the Hartford Courant profiled Varano, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at 12, and struggled with limited mobility for years before under-going an above-knee amputation at age 38. After sharing her goal to become a triathlete with her prosthetist Rachael Lavigne in North Haven, Connecticut, Varano was fit with custom running and cycling legs that have enabled her to complete four triathlons in the last two years, including the championships race.

About Hanger Clinic: Hanger Clinic, a subsidiary of Hanger, Inc. (NYSE: HNGR), owns and operates approximately 800 patient care clinics nationwide, where comprehensive, outcomes-based orthotic and prosthetic care is delivered. Rooted in 160 years of clinical excellence and innovation, the certified clinicians of Hanger Clinic provide compassionate, expert care and customized solutions for all ages, designed to increase the mobility and function of each person we have the honor of serving. For more information on Hanger Clinic, visit www.HangerClinic.com.

Contact:
Annie Myers
External Relations Manager
(210) 440-7380 or [email protected]

Multimedia Files:

Robert Rodriguez at the Paratriathlon National Championships