Triathlete profile: Billy Lister - New York News | NYC Breaking News

Triathlete profile: Billy Lister

At first glance, Billy Lister seems like your typical athlete. After having brain surgery for arterial venous malformation as a teen, Lister's brain swelled, causing him to gradually become paralyzed on the left side of his body.

"One day I woke up and I couldn't type on a keyboard," he said. "The next day I woke up and I couldn't button my shirt. Eventually over those couple of weeks, I wasn't able to run any longer."

But after 12 years of intense physical therapy, Lister found the world of disabled sports. With the help of bike modifications and some sophisticated leg braces, Lister has been competing in paratriathlons for the past year.

"It was love at first sight," Lister said. "I was completely addicted to the sport as soon as I got into it. The level of endurance and testing your limits is something that I found incredibly interesting."

After Lister competes in the Aquaphor New York City triathlon on July 8, 2012, his next challenge is to complete a 620-mile bike ride from San Francisco to San Diego.

"The sky is the limit. I always say you have to shoot for the clouds to hit the sky," he said. "There is only one way to find out what you can't do and that's by trying everything to see what you can do."

Lister also hopes to create a paratriathlon program for disabled athletes.