For the first time in the history of the Tinman Triathlon, an all-amputee team competed. 
Steve Arrison, 59, from Redding, Mark O’Sullivan, 45, from Red Bluff, and Jonathan Bik, 34, of Sacramento are known as “Team Hanger Tripod.”
They are each missing a leg above-the-knee and use prosthetic adjustments to either compete or perform day-to-day activities.
Hanger/Shasta Prosthetics and Orthotics in Redding sponsored the team, as well as an able-bodied team, which finished third overall. 
All three athletes felt this was a great opportunity to show that just because you have a disability, you don’t have to let it get you down. Before and after their accidents, each athlete participated in the sports they competed in on Sunday. 
‘Life doesn’t end with an amputation,” said O’Sullivan.  “We still like to go out and have fun.”
O’Sullivan, who is the manager of the Hanger office in Redding, says that an amputee’s state of mind can go either direction: not allowing it to bring you down or sinking into a deep depression.
Bik said remaining proactive and having a positive frame of mind is the key.       
They feel they don’t just inspire others with disabilities, but those without. On many occasions, they have seen able-bodied athletes re-energized when they compete against them. They believe it is because an able-bodied athlete sees them, it motivates them to do their best also. 
Arrison competed in the Tinman’s 10-mile cycling course.  He had a special case where he doesn’t has as much of a limb as the other athletes. Having a prosthetic would have made it even more difficult for him to peddle because he wouldn’t have the ability to push down.  So he cycled without it.
O’Sullivan said the company could have made a prosthetic for him if Arrison had wanted it.
Arrison has been an amputee since 1986 after losing his leg to osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer.  Despite his loss, he still enjoys most everything he used to do including hunting, fishing cycling and golf. He and his wife have tandem cycled across Nevada twice and average over 1,000 miles per year. He recently retired from the California Department of Fish and Game. 
O’Sullivan competed in the 740-yard swim in Lake Siskiyou. Like Arrison, he didn’t use a prosthetic during the race. He said it would have slowed him down and hindered his kicking ability. He said swimming is more about upper body strength.
O’Sullivan enjoys swimming as a sport because it is one the best for an amputee.
He has also been an amputee since 1986 after losing his leg in a truck accident on his family’s ranch in Paynes Creek, Calif.  After the accident he decided to become a certified prosthetist with Hanger to help restore mobility and personal independence to other amputees.  He’s an avid snow and water skier and surfer. Many times you can find him and his family on Mount Shasta during the winter. 
Bik competed in the final event of the day, the five-mile cross country run. He was the only competitor to use a prosthetic in the triathlon. Running takes twice as much energy for an athlete, especially on this course because of the change in environment. 
Bik lost his leg in 2005 after falling from the top of a power pole while working as a lineman for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Being married with two daughters, Bik was determined not to let the loss of his leg slow him down.  Just two month after his accident, he was walking, and after four months he started running.  He has competed in many 10K road races, half marathons and triathlons, including the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. 
“We are definitely coming back next year and we hope to see more teams of athletes with prosthetics,” O’Sullivan said after the race. “Watch out.”