Craig Blanchette

Handcyclist - Wheelchair Racer

With 21 world records, a trip to the 1988 Seoul Games, resulting in a bronze medal and a personal-record bench press of 410 pounds (two and a half times his body weight), Craig Blanchette is truly a world-class athlete. A double amputee with a passion for competition and incredible talent for sport, Craig added handcycling competitions (comparable to bicycling) to his wheelchair racing (comparable to running) career in 2000 - and became the U.S. Champion in handcycling in 2000 and 2001.

Craig credits Shaklee Physique® Workout Maximizer Supplement for helping him achieve his successful racing career. "It's practically impossible to be sore with this product – I've never seen another like it," says Craig. "Physique allows me to have better-quality workouts, to get better performance out of the same amount of work and to recover more quickly." He says he especially noticed the difference if he ever ran out of product during hard training. "I thought I was a slacker because my muscles weren't aching enough – but when I ran out of Physique it took my muscles much longer to recover!"

In addition to Physique, Craig uses Shaklee vitamins, NutriFeron®, Performance® Maximum Endurance Sports Drink, among other products. He notes realizing the dramatic difference of Performance® Sports Drink years ago at a race in Atlanta in July's sweltering heat. "Although I was drinking lots of liquid, I didn't have to run to the bathroom—as usual—after the race," says Craig. "Performance stays in my system and keeps me going better than water."

A Shaklee Distributor since 1996, Craig trusts Shaklee products and appreciates the company's commitment to extensive research and testing. He gives his children Shaklee supplements and started his second son on Shaklee at a young age—by adding Vita-Lea® Infant Mix to his rice cereal.

Craig has finally begun to compete in fewer races but continues to influence and teach younger athletes. At the Dam2Dam Thumbs Up Bike Tour in Washington state, he runs a cycling clinic for those who want to learn about handcycling, racing strategies and nutrition. Sponsored by the Mike Utley Foundation, proceeds from the Dam2Dam go towards research for spinal cord injuries - which affect approximately two million people worldwide.

In addition to professional racing, Craig loves other sports like skateboarding, rock climbing and scuba diving and credits Shaklee products for allowing him to keep playing hard. "Shaklee products are great for everyone, even Physique, which will help someone who is just starting a new workout regimen recover faster and work out harder," says Craig. "If I'm going to work my butt off and train, I'm not willing to take a chance taking something that's not the best, because I never settle for second-best in a race."

Achievements

• 21 time world record holder
• Bronze Medalist 1988, Seoul
• Placed second in the Boston Marathon
• U.S. Handcycling Champion, 2000 and 2001
• Youngest winner at 18 years of the Peachtree Roadrace, Atlanta; proceeded to win Peachtree seven times
• Won the Lilac Bloomsday race in Spokane, WA nine times in a row
• Won the Bolder Boulder race in Boulder, CO seven times in a row
• Finished fifth in his first ever world class Wheelchair Racing event in 1986; went on to win the next 11 straight races, setting two world records in the process