\u201cIt was tough,\u201d he said of the race. \u201cYou saw the finish. I think the stresses to the body are relatively significant with Parkinson\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I like to be able to retire from things rather than letting those things beat me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In a post-race interview, the T100 organizers asked him if he would race again if they returned to Vancouver.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I said, \u2018Yeah, don\u2019t tell my wife, but yeah, if you come back.\u2019 And thankfully, they\u2019re coming back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
So this August, when the T100 returns, Walker will participate again, this time representing those with Parkinson\u2019s, as he\u2019s teamed up with Parkinson\u2019s Canada to both raise awareness and money. (His fundraising page is here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n He plans to start his \u201cserious training\u201d in May, which will include four runs, three swims, and about four bike rides each week. For safety, he\u2019s recruited a former lifeguard to help him train while open-water swimming and to join him on the swim leg of the race. He will also have a cyclist and a running coach beside him on those portions of the race.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of falls and postural instability, I have to watch that I do all three so that I get lateral movement. I get a lot of rigidity with the Parkinson\u2019s, and so the swimming is critical to help me keep my shoulders loosened up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cTraining is just a little bit more challenging these days.\u201d<\/p>\n Getting the diagnosis<\/p>\n Walker was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s four years ago, but likely had it two to three years before that.<\/p>\n His first symptoms were caught by his track coach, who pointed out that his left arm wasn\u2019t swinging when he was running. Walker didn\u2019t go to the doctor until about two years later, after he had dinner with guests and his fork was shaking heavily.<\/p>\n When he received the Parkinson\u2019s diagnosis, he said he felt \u201cshock, confusion, almost denial.\u201d<\/p>\n The disease is a degenerative neurological condition which is caused by the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain, according to Parkinson Canada. Its symptoms include slowness of movement, tremors, rigidity, and lack of balance. It can also cause fatigue, speech and writing difficulties, sleep disorders, loss of smell, depression, and cognitive changes.<\/p>\n \u201cBut very quickly, in a few days, it clicked over. \u2018Okay, this is it. I need to live with this. And now what do I do to live well with this?\u2019 And that was my focus in the last four years.\u201d<\/p>\n He kept doing triathlons because of how important exercise is for people with Parkinson\u2019s. While there\u2019s no cure and it\u2019s a progressive disease (\u201cevery day you get up, you\u2019re going downhill\u201d), exercise can help mitigate the symptoms.<\/p>\n He also takes medication, eats well, and practices meditation. He\u2019s currently finishing up a six-month research intervention at Pacific Parkinson\u2019s Research Institute, where he and a group of people with Parkinson\u2019s meet on Zoom to exercise three times per week, attend a mindfulness class once per week, and attend a Mediterranean cooking class every other week.<\/p>\n The disease makes his body rigid and his movements smaller. As the day progresses, he said it can look like he\u2019s stumbling. He takes shorter steps, which is a significant change to his running, since his stride is shorter.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I\u2019m still feeling like I\u2019m training for a marathon, but I\u2019m only doing one tenth. And yet it\u2019s still really hard with the stiffness and the slow movements. \u2026 You have to accept that you\u2019re [going] less distance.\u201d<\/p>\n T100\/Supplied<\/p>\n While Walker has a positive attitude and outlook on life, he said having Parkinson\u2019s is challenging.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just the outward expression, but there\u2019s a lot of inward stuff going on. I started to drool. Insomnia is increasingly present. Restless leg syndrome. My face turns into a mask because the muscles slow down during the day. And all these things, that\u2019s shitty. That\u2019s just shitty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut life is still sweet. Life is so sweet,\u201d he said. \u201cWith good friends and a wonderful place to live, here in Vancouver. And wonderful things to do and to learn. As I keep learning, I grow. So life is still sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n Since his diagnosis, he\u2019s taken up new hobbies, including photography and sketching. He writes poems and posts them on Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n Walker recently figured out that he had about 230,000 \u2018yesterdays\u2019 and about 2,000 \u2018tomorrows.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cI want those 2000 tomorrows to glitter, to be positive, to be optimistic. And that\u2019s why I want to squeeze all the juice out of life, in today, in this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/david-walker-bike.jpg\"\/ "\\"\\"")
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