NJ man, with cerebral palsy, becomes triathlon athlete

BURLINGTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- Harvey Dawkins is an elite athlete but what you wouldn't know just by looking at him on a bike is that he also has cerebral palsy.

While walking is difficult, riding isn't.

"I just had the drive that I wanted to find something I could do that I could do really, really well" said Dawkins.

Cycling is it for Dawkins and he does is all for charity.

His current goal is to compete in a Bike MS Ride in all 50 states. The rides are 150 miles over two days, raising money for multiple sclerosis.

"I ride for any cause because I believe in trying to help people," said Dawkins.

He's done one of those for eight years straight but decided that's not enough of a challenge.

Two years ago, he decided to take up triathlons as well.

"I like watching the Ironman and I just saw stories of people overcoming adversity and I said, 'I can do that,'" he said.

He has since competed in eight of them, consisting of a 500 yard swim, 15 mile bike ride and 5K run.

It's expensive to travel to the elite races and Dawkins funds the cause himself which is something that's become more difficult.

That's why he started a non-profit called Team Inspire - a perfect name given its message.

"Forget the naysayers. Anything is possible if you want it bad enough. That's what it's all about. You will never know until you try," said Dawkins.

If you would like to help support Dawkins, visit: http://www.gofundme.com/nb6dm0