IOWA CITY

Jayden Stafford, a Mid-Prairie freshman, leaned over in his racing chair and tried to catch his breath.

Victory was his. He had just won the 200-meter wheelchair race in the Eastern Iowa Track & Field Festival held April 16 at Iowa City West HIgh School.

As Stafford’s breaths became a little less winded, Iowa City West wheelchair racer Jordan Caperon wheeled over to congratulate him. They shared the moment.

If you have any idea that racing in a wheelchair is easy stuff, just take a closer look. Stafford covered the 200 meters in 40.99 seconds, beating Caperon by nearly 18 seconds.

“That is very hard,” said Caperon, who finished runner-up to Stafford in both the 100- and 200-meter races.

On this day, Stafford and Caperon pushed each other. Spectators stood and applauded as they wheeled down the track and in front of the bleachers and toward the finish line.

A more inspiring moment you won’t find.

“It’s people like him that actually push me to want to get better,” Stafford said of Caperon. “Hey, this is what I can improve on, or, hey, if someone’s struggling, I can help them improve.”

They are racing competitors and racing buddies.

Stafford, who began racing just one year ago as an eighth grader, has spina bifida. It affects the lower spine, virtually from birth. The condition is a neural tube defect and often happens early in the developmental stages of pregnancy.

Years ago, such a condition would block a child from any kind of a normal life. Now it can simply drive the determination of someone with spina bifida and, in turn, inspire the rest of us.

The addition of the Paralympics and adaptive sports provides a dream, an achievable dream. And that’s what Jayden Stafford is all about. He’s going to beat you to the finish line and he’s going to shoot the basketball over your head.

“My inspiration is either make it to the Paralympics for basketball or place really, really well for these next three years I have in state and see how far it can take me,” Stafford said.

Stafford is already the top freshman wheelchair racer in the state. His win Saturday was the fourth fastest 200 in the state, all classes, this year, but he previously posted the No. 2 time of 36.89 seconds. He won the 100 with a time of 21.03 seconds, third fastest in the state this year, but his previous time of 19.78 seconds is No. 2.

Blame that on the strong winds Stafford encountered at City West.

The best high school racer in Iowa is Wyatt Willand, a senior at Northwood-Kensett who finished second in four wheelchair events at last year’s state championship meet. Willand has a time of 17.90 seconds in the 100 this year and 31.59 in the 200.

Stafford is a member of the Iowa Grizzlies wheelchair basketball team and last year added wheelchair racing to his portfolio. And why not?

“The training aspect is a lot easier than it looks because all you’ve got to do is get endurance and keep your stamina,” Stafford said.

Well, many of us will strike out on both endurance and stamina.

But not Jayden. This is a skill being mastered by a Mid-Prairie freshman who may have four state championship meets in front of him.

Plus basketball.

News columnist Paul Bowker can be reached at bowkerpaul1@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @bowkerpaul.