Perseverance can be a defining quality, guiding people through seemingly impossible circumstances and challenging the limits of what they think is possible. Rob Balucas embodies this spirit. Facing life in a wheelchair, Balucas made a choice: circumstances don't write your story—you do.

During Pepperdine’s recent annual 波的周末, he received the Wave of Resilience Award, honoring not only his tenacity in the face of adversity but also the inspiration he continues to bring to the University community.

Rob Balucas和Matt Ebeling一起获得“韧性浪潮奖”

“When I was approached about the award, it felt validating that my alma mater not only recognized my accomplishments but also the ‘why’ behind chasing the big races and goals,” said Balucas. “这与赢得精英竞争的认可无关。 It was for pushing this average talent as far as possible after a life-changing circumstance—proving that we always have agency to decide how we respond, even in the face of the toughest challenges.”

According to Hung Le (’87, MA ’03), Pepperdine’s senior vice chancellor for alumni affairs, Balucas is the inaugural recipient of this award, making it an opportune moment to honor a community member who exemplifies remarkable strength and determination in the face of adversity.

“As we strengthen lives for purpose, service, and leadership, it is imperative that we celebrate members of our community who model strength and demonstrate resilience through life's challenges to serve as an inspiration for all of us,” said Le. “We honor members of our alumni community who live with the strength of character in the midst of struggle, overcoming life's obstacles and making life more abundant for others in the process.”

关于Balucas， Le补充道：“Rob是善良和力量的化身。 He used a tragic accident to propel him to live a life worth emulating and continues to inspire and encourage those around him. I am grateful to get to call Rob a dear friend and an honored fellow Pepperdine alumnus."

重新定义弹性

In September 2015, while training for his first IRONMAN 70.3—a half-distance IRONMAN triathlon—Balucas’ routine bicycle ride took a devastating turn. He lost control of his bike in a sharp, downhill turn and went over the side of a hill. The crash resulted in a broken collarbone, several cracked ribs, a collapsed lung, and, most significantly, an L1 burst fracture in his lower spine. The injury left Balucas paralyzed from the waist down and without sensation in his legs.

As catastrophic as the accident was, Balucas shares that his deepest response wasn’t tied to the loss of mobility, but rather to the immense outpouring of love and support he received from those around him—family, friends, his triathlon club, and the Pepperdine community that had long been part of his life.

“真正让我流泪的不是我可能再也不能走路的想法； it was realizing how completely my community showed up for me when I needed it most,” Balucas said.

决心再次参加比赛的巴卢卡斯设定了一个目标，要在一年内参加铁人三项； 在接下来的12个月里，他完成了三项任务。 With financial support from his community, Balucas was able to purchase a handcycle and racing wheelchair, as well as fund the many miscellaneous expenses of competing. He also received numerous sponsorships, including one from the Challenged Athlete Foundation (CAF)—an organization he would later come to treasure.

Matt Ebeling， Rob Balucas和Hung Le

“佩珀代因大学为社区、服务和坚持不懈奠定了基础。 从那以后，我所做的一切都源于那些年，”Balucas分享道。 “I’m grateful to still be part of this community and to share my story in hopes that it encourages someone else to take their own leap.”

康复后，巴卢卡斯成为适应性田径运动中的重要人物。 He is a three-time Ironman World Championship qualifier, finishing fourth at the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand. This year alone, he raced his fifth L.A. Marathon with a third-place finish, finished his second Napa Valley Marathon, won the Venice Beach Half Marathon, claimed first male at the Disneyland Half Marathon for the second time, took first place at the Long Beach Triathlon, and finished the Chicago Marathon in a time that earned him a spot at the Boston Marathon next year. Recently, he and his relay teammates, partner Erika Chau and fellow alumnus Aaron Jasper (’99), finished second at the Zuma Beach Triathlon.

从挑战到机遇

Balucas credits Pepperdine with teaching him the value of perseverance and resilience through both the successes and setbacks he faced as a student.

“有一年我竞选学生会的财务主管，但失败了，”他回忆说。 “It was a big deal at the time, and I was crushed. 但第二年，我又参加了竞选，而且赢了。 失败不是终点——它只是持续旅程的一部分； when you choose to look at it that way..”

这一课一直指导着Balucas的铁人三项职业生涯。

“I’ve competed in several IRONMAN and half-IRONMAN races—some I finished, some I didn’t,” Balucas said. “Each time I came up short, I went back, took the lessons learned into the next training and preparation, and tried again. The same mindset applies to everything: failure is only permanent if you stop trying.”

Balucas recently served as a spokesperson for CAF and competed in the Zuma Beach Triathlon—an event sponsored by Pepperdine that united thousands of athletes, spectators, and volunteers. The triathlon raised more than $150,000 in support of CAF, which empowers athletes with physical disabilities through adaptive sports equipment and opportunities and the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu, which provides vital after-school programs, mental health services, and long-term support for survivors of the Franklin and Palisades fires.

Balucas was first introduced to CAF through his triathlon community in San Francisco and was honored with an invite to CAF’s paratriathlon camp in San Diego, where his journey with the foundation truly began.

罗布·巴卢卡斯与佩珀代因大学的校友和朋友们…… 一些他最坚定的支持者

Since that first encounter, CAF has provided Balucas with financial support for coaching, equipment, and travel, but more importantly, it has given him a sense of belonging within an inspiring community of adaptive athletes.

“创始人是适应性体育世界的传奇人物，”巴卢卡斯回忆说。 “I remember being at that first camp, swimming in the ocean alongside one of the cofounders—not realizing who he was until later. Everyone treated him with such respect, and he was right there in the water with us, leading by example. That moment told me I was amongst the right kind of people and organization.”

大地惊雷

Acknowledging that his personal journey has had its challenges, Balucas characterizes his response to it as one of simple grit. “勇气是积极的。 It’s about pushing forward even when it’s hard.”

Equally important to Balucas is the power of choice and how it influences one’s response to adversity.

“身份是流动的——它是由选择塑造的，”他说。 “When I was injured, I made a conscious decision to see it as something I could grow from, not something that defined me negatively. I learned that how you choose to interpret your challenges determines how you move through them.”