Martin spoke with usolympicteam.com the day before he left for the Championship.

Q1: How did you become involved in triathlons, and how long have you been a paralympian cyclist?

PAUL MARTIN: I competed in my first triathlon in 1995 and started cycling competitively in 1998. Cycling was a sport in which I could "hang" with the able-bodied, so I figured why not see how I could do in paralympic competitions.

Q2: How have you been training for the upcoming triathlon, and how do you feel about it?

PAUL MARTIN: Honestly, due to stump and back problems I haven't been able to train too much. I don't feel as good about this competition as I should, but at the very least I'm well rested.

Q3: If you could be any animal what would you choose, and why?

PAUL MARTIN: I think I would choose a bald eagle. They are endangered so no one could shoot me, and I could just fly around and eat mice and snakes all day.

Q4: You recently published a book entitled One Man's Leg. What made you decide to do this?

PAUL MARTIN: The emphasis of the book really came from others. When I would write emails about races and competing, I would get so much positive feedback from other people. Everyone was so encouraging. I was often told that I should write a book, so one day I decided to tackle it.

Q5: Where is your favorite place you've traveled and why?

PAUL MARTIN: I would probably have to say Sydney for the 2000 Paralympics; however, Germany comes in at a close second. The people were just so great and I was treated so well while visiting both places.

Q6: What's your favorite/least favorite food?

PAUL MARTIN: My favorite food is definitely ice cream. Least favorite? Hmm…good question. Spit pea soup really makes me gag. I haven't eaten it in a long time though.

Q7: How do you prepare for competition?

PAUL MARTIN: I don't really have any rituals or routines and I don't get all jazzed up about competing. I pretty much just go out and do what I know how to do.

Q8: If there was going to be a movie made about you, who would you like to have the lead role and why?

PAUL MARTIN: I wouldn't really want anyone to star as me; I would want to play myself. Nobody can play you as well as you can play yourself. If someone else were to try and act as me, it would be different--it wouldn't really be my life. Plus, I have some acting experience.

Q9: Is there anything you would like people to know about the paralympics?

PAUL MARTIN: Yeah. It's not as hard as it seems. Too many people think that they aren't good enough. If they would just give it a shot they would probable be capable of competing.

Q10: What's next after the Ironman Triathlon World Championship?

PAUL MARTIN: I actually have races the following few weekends after the Ironman, so I'll be pretty busy. I'll be competing in the Xterra World Championships in Maui, Hawaii (10/27/02), The San Diego Triathlon Challenge in La Jolla, California (11/3/02), the Triathlon World Championships in Cancun, Mexico (11/9/02) and the Amputee half-marathon National Championships in San Diego, California (11/17/02). In December I'll also race in the Muddy Buddy World Championships in Catalina, California (12/6/02).