Triathlete Hunter Kemper is providing instructions to view a bicycle accident that resulted in an elbow bone protruding out of his skin.

He doesn’t give any warnings about it not being for the squeamish, he just instructs to go to YouTube and search “Hunter Kemper Myrtle Beach Bike Crash.”

“You should be able to find it,” said the three-time Olympian who trains in Colorado Springs.

Sure enough, there’s Kemper being thrown from his bike (although you won’t see any bones), the exact moment his life turned into a barrage of surgeries, medication and doubt about his future as an athlete.

Here’s what happened that day: In a triathlon Oct. 9 at Myrtle Beach, S.C., Kemper was one of the co-leaders during the bicycle portion of the race. He was going downhill, at about 35 mph, when Jonathan Echevers of Panama started to cross the track on foot at the transition area. Echevers had just finished the swimming portion and had been lapped on the bicycle leg, which should have caused race officials to remove him from the race, Kemper said.

Kemper’s bike slammed into Echevers, sending Kemper flying off the bike. He broke the olecranon bone, which is the bone that forms the point of the elbow, and it was a slight compound fracture, meaning the bone temporarily broke the skin. He described the injury as akin to a pitching wedge lopping off the bone. Kemper still isn’t very happy at the race officials for allowing Echevers near the course to allow the accident to happen.

“It was brutal, and it was one of those things that should have never happened,” Kemper said.

Here’s what happened after that day: Kemper underwent surgery on his elbow. In December, he developed a staph infection. He had a peripherally inserted central catheter (or PICC line) that allowed him to get powerful antibiotic medicine intravenously, but it also meant he couldn’t train in the pool for many weeks. The medicine came in a slow IV drip while he lay in bed for hour-and-a-half sessions, twice daily.

Complicating matters, he was to turn 36 years old in early May, and time was running out to seriously train for the U.S. Olympic triathlon qualifying event May 12 in San Diego.

“How do you see yourself going to the Olympics when you’re stuck in bed three hours a day?” Kemper said.

He didn’t want his career to end on a fluke injury that wasn’t his fault. So he trained with extreme urgency from mid-February until the end of April. Every day counted because he couldn’t afford to not maximize every training session.

“It was almost like a ‘Seize the moment’ attitude every day,” Kemper said.

He wondered what would happen in the Olympic qualifying race. He couldn’t, and still can’t, extend his elbow entirely. He had missed valuable training time and didn’t participate in any tuneup races. He admits he had doubts about his ability to perform at an elite level.

“I didn’t think I was done, but I didn’t know if I would get back to what I was,” Kemper said.

During the qualifying event at San Diego the swim was his biggest fear. He had to change his stroke slightly because of the elbow and that was the event he missed the most training time for. But he finished that leg in decent shape. His confidence kept rising through the race. He finished fifth, first among Americans, and made his fourth Olympics.

“When he had the setback in December, you’re thinking the trial is four months away, what can you do in four months to compete at a world-class level?” said Andy Schmitz, the USA Triathlon high performance general manager. “The odds were against him. It shows the mental resolve and dedication he had to get back to full strength.”

Kemper says he might make a run at yet another Olympic berth in 2016, when he would be 40. But he admits this is his last realistic chance at a medal. He hasn’t been on the medal stand yet. His best finish was seventh in 2008. He wants to be on the medal stand after the race in London on Aug. 7 but he doesn’t dwell on it. He said the journey to get to the Olympics this time was fulfilling enough. He knows the triathlon field is talented, and he’s just worried about maximizing his own performance.

“I want to say at the end of the race, I executed and I did as well as I possibly could,” Kemper said. “And if that gets me fifth place, I’ll be extremely happy.”

Contact Frank Schwab: 476-4891

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It’s a bit gruesome to watch, but triathlete Hunter Kemper readily provides instructions to view a bike race accident that resulted in an elbow bone protruding from his skin.

He doesn’t warn you the video isn’t for the squeamish, he just instructs you to go to YouTube and search “Hunter Kemper Myrtle Beach Bike Crash.”

“You should be able to find it,” said the three-time Olympian who trains in Colorado Springs. (You might remember seeing the photos on the OutThereColorado.com website when it happened.)

Sure enough, there’s Kemper being thrown from his bike (although you won’t see any bones), the exact moment his life turned into a barrage of surgeries, medication and doubt about his future as an athlete.

Here’s what happened that day: In a triathlon Oct. 9 at Myrtle Beach, S.C., Kemper was one of the co-leaders during the bicycle portion of the race. He was going downhill, at about 35 mph, when Jonathan Echevers of Panama started to cross the track on foot at the transition area. Echevers had just finished the swimming portion and had been lapped on the bicycle leg, which should have caused race officials to remove him from the race, Kemper said.

Kemper’s bike slammed into Echevers, sending Kemper flying off the bike. He broke the olecranon bone, which is the bone that forms the point of the elbow, and it was a slight compound fracture, meaning the bone temporarily broke the skin. He described the injury as akin to a pitching wedge lopping off the bone.

Kemper still isn’t happy the race officials allowed Echevers near the course.

“It was brutal, and it was one of those things that should have never happened,” Kemper said.

Kemper had surgery on his elbow that day. In December, he developed a staph infection. Doctors inserted a catheter to give him powerful antibiotics intravenously – 90-minute sessions, twice daily – but that meant he couldn’t swim for weeks.

Complicating matters, time was running out to train for the U.S. Olympic triathlon qualifying event May 12 in San Diego.

“How do you see yourself going to the Olympics when you’re stuck in bed three hours a day?” Kemper said.

He didn’t want his career to end on a fluke injury, so he trained with extreme urgency from mid-February until the end of April. Every day counted because he couldn’t afford to not maximize every training session.

“It was almost like a ‘seize the moment’ attitude every day,” Kemper said.

He wondered what would happen in the Olympic qualifying race. He couldn’t, and still can’t, extend his elbow entirely. He had missed valuable training time and didn’t participate in any tuneup races. He admits he had doubts about his ability to perform at an elite level.

“I didn’t think I was done, but I didn’t know if I would get back to what I was,” Kemper said.

During the qualifying event at San Diego the swim was his biggest fear. He had to change his stroke slightly because of the elbow and he trained less swimming than biking or running. But he finished that leg in decent shape and his confidence rose through the race. He finished fifth, first among Americans, and made his fourth Olympics.

“When he had the setback in December, you’re thinking the trial is four months away, what can you do in four months to compete at a world-class level?” said Andy Schmitz, the USA Triathlon high performance general manager. “The odds were against him. It shows the mental resolve and dedication he had to get back to full strength.”

Kemper, who turned 36 in May, says he might make a run at yet another Olympic berth in 2016. But he admits this is his last realistic chance at an elusive medal. His best finish was seventh in 2008.

He wants to be on the medal stand after the race in London on Aug. 7 but he doesn’t dwell on it. He said the journey to get to the Olympics this time was fulfilling enough. He knows the triathlon field is talented, and he’s just worried about maximizing his own performance.

“I want to say at the end of the race, I executed and I did as well as I possibly could,” Kemper said. “And if that gets me fifth place, I’ll be extremely happy.”

Contact Frank Schwab: 476-4891

Twitter @GazetteAirForce

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