When Ken Martin rolls into Garry Point Park in his wheelchair, his heart rate picks up a pace or two.
By the time he slides out of his chair and into his power-kiting three-wheeled buggy, Dirtslide as Martin is known in the sport is whipping around the park at great speed, doing wheelies and fishtails and is free from the handcuffs of disability.
A local amateur photographer, Angus McDonald, got in touch with the News after spotting Martin at the park, climbing out of his wheelchair and having the time of his life performing one-handed stunts.
Despite his obvious physical challenges, Steveston resident Martin, 46, has maintained his place in the top 20 in his sport in North America.
But its a remarkable scene that even eternal optimist Martin could not have dreamed of three years ago when his life flashed before his eyes while working as a mechanic on a building site.
I came out of an elevator and the roof above started sliding and gave way, recalled Martin.
A massive slab of concrete fell on top of me and jack-knifed my back, breaking my spine. I was trapped.
I managed to let out a help, but no-one heard. It was crazy, but in those few moments, I started to think about everything. I thought about my family and I thought about how this could be it, I could die here.
Martin had it in his head that he had about three minutes of air left. I thought I just want to go now, I dont want to wait around, he said.
But then someone shouted, Is anyone under there?
Thats when I thumped the floor.
Martin had two rods and eight screws inserted into his back. The rods are out now, but he still has a titanium casing in there that will never come out. It will take up to four years for the nerves to heal, he said.
Prior to the near fatal incident, Martin, who fell in love with power kiting 14 years ago, was one of the first people to introduce Canada to the sport.
He would compete every April in Las Vegas at the nationals, where he could clock speeds of up to his personal best of 56 miles per hour (the world record is 86 mph).
However, the accident meant Martin couldnt even attempt to stand for six months, let alone power kite.
But it was his passion for the sport that provided the catalyst for his comeback.
A comeback that has surprised his doctors and even himself, Has (the sport) helped me? Absolutely. Its been an amazing recreational therapy, he said.
When I do this, all my inabilities go out the window and I get a mental and physical charge. I feel like Im back to my old self.
It improves me physically and the more I do it, the stronger Im getting.
So much so that Martin actually went to Vegas last year and the tournament organizers allowed him to do a speed run, to give him a chance of staying in the continents top 20.
Im in a new program right now that I started two months ago, where they put you on a treadmill, said an excited Martin.
Im there three times a week and Im trying hard to teach my legs how to work again. Within a few months, I might be able to walk and within six months, I might be able to do a 10K run.
Having a bit of light at the end of the tunnel is helping, because after the accident, I was told that I would only be able to stand a little.
Martin and a friend have also made videos, available on YouTube, to show the process of how, if you dont have strength in your legs, you can still power-kite.
I want to show that anyone can do this, no matter what, he said.
