Dare2tri athletes hopeful for appearance at Rio Paralympic Games

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Para-triathlon is a growing sport among people with physical disabilities.

In fact, for the first time, the sport will be part of the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

Chicago's Dare2tri was the first to establish a USA Triathlon-sanctioned club. The club started four years ago.

"We serve over 107 youth, adults and injured service members that either have a physical disability or visual impairment and we get them involved in community recreation," said Dare2tri Founder Keri Serota. "Swimming, biking and running and community triathlons."

Serota said a majority of their athletes are from Chicago area and southern Wisconsin.

"We host an annual three-day Paratriathlon training camp where we have athletes from around the country join us at that event, mainly because there aren't that many programs doing what we're doing," Serota said.

Mary Kate Callahan and Kendall Gretsch are two members of Dare2tri.

Callahan,18, graduated from Oak Park's Fenwick High School and is now a sophomore at University of Arizona.

"I've been involved with Dare2tri since the beginning," Callahan said. "It's a great group of people, great athletes to be able to train with and to go to if you have questions about equipment."

"I've always been involved in sports since I was six-years-old, I did swimming, track, whatever, then I really took an eye on swimming," Callahan said.

Gretsch, 22, just graduated from Washington University and has been involved with Dare2tri for two years.

"I swam for my high school team and once I went away to college, I kind of stopped swimming, so I wanted to get back into sports," Gretsch said. "And so I met Keri and she said, 'Come on, this is Dare2tri.'"

Both athletes will be spending the summer training and traveling to different triathlon events.

"There are a lot of events that are currently leading up to the 'Road to Rio,' as they call it," Serota said.

"I'm kind of taking each race one at a time, but I'm hoping it will all come together and I'll be there wearing the US uniform in Rio," Callahan said.

"It's kind of a big task but yeah, that's what I'm hoping for 2016," Gretsch said.

Dare2tri has a partnership with the Chicago Park District which allows them to call 31st Street Marina their home.

For more information visit www.dare2tri.org.