Retiree puts new "spin" on life

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Capling
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Retired Capt. Mackey Tyndall, descendent of Lt. Frank B. Tyndall, the man Tyndall Air Force Base is named after, is fighting a new battle these days by training for long distance races on his two state-of-the-art racing wheelchairs on the streets of Tyndall Air Force Base.

Mr. Tyndall suffers from spinal stenosis and severe arthritis. As a result of injuries received while on active duty, he's had two total hip replacements and has a metal rod along with multiple screws inserted into his back.

He was medically retired from the Air Force in 1990 due to his injuries. Before retirement, he spent five of his active-duty years as an instructor at the Weapons Controller Training School here, now the 325th Air Control Squadron.

Before his injury, he was an accomplished wrestler and won the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship for his weight division while attending college.

"When I had my medical problems, I fell into a psychological hole," Mr. Tyndall said. "Eventually I became upset with my weight. My son bought me a weight bench and I gradually began to lose some of that weight."

To further his healing process, Mr. Tyndall started racing local five and 10 kilometer races in 2005.

"Then I felt I needed more of a challenge, so I started competing in Olympic distance triathlons and duathlons," he said.

He started competing in races using a standard wheelchair. Now he competes in the races by using two different styles. One is a hand cycle, his equivalent of riding a bicycle due to the different gears used. The second is a push chair which requires so much endurance and constant pushing to operate it, that it is physically comparable to running.

Mr. Tyndall has had recent success with his racing, winning the U.S. Nationals last summer in the "N.Y.C. Nautica Triathalon."

Currently he's training for the world championship in Richmond, Va. Oct. 21; followed by the New York City marathon two weeks later. His goal is simple:

"I just want to say I entered the world championship and finished," he said. "Everything else is gravy."

Mr. Tyndall said the thing he enjoys the most about racing is the sense of freedom it provides.

"After being house bound for four-years, racing is quite an adrenaline rush," he said.

His doctors encourage his activity.

"They said, 'Go for it. Do all you can, it's not hurting you,'" he said. "The most rewarding thing is being able to do this on my own. Being able to say I did this without anyone's help."