ATHLETE
While Attila is an accomplished athlete in a few sports, which include soccer and football as a teenager, after his falling accident he also competed in power-lifting for 5 years. In fact... while competing as a paraplegic and having asked for no special treatment, he went up against able-bodied athletes and won his weight class in the 1997 PA States.
Now-a-days Attila's choice of sport is hand-cycling, where he won the 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon in his first ever race. "I fully expected to win, but it still came as a surprise when I crossed that finish line," explained Domos. "You run a scenario over and over in your mind, and go over every possible outcome. You focus on how you not only want it to happen, but how you expect it to happen. Even though I raced this marathon hundreds of times in my mind while expecting this result... it's still a shock when it happens for real."
Unfortunately Domos was out of racing for the next 4 years, due to skin break-down and bone infection issues, but came back strong and won the 2017 Pittsburgh Marathon. But even more impressively, in August of 2016 Domos unofficially broke the 24-hour handcycling world record, by riding 407.7 miles in 24 hours, a world record he broke in Pittsburgh at the Bud Harris cycling track on Washington Blvd.
At age 49 Domos isn't slowing down. He now has his sight set on becoming a 3-time Pittsburgh Marathon champ and to officially break the 24-hour handcycling world record... and to bring the title back not only PIttsburgh, but the United States.
"I train incredibly hard and keep my body in good shape. I see no reason to retire from the sport, when I can still beat up on riders half my age."
Now-a-days Attila's choice of sport is hand-cycling, where he won the 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon in his first ever race. "I fully expected to win, but it still came as a surprise when I crossed that finish line," explained Domos. "You run a scenario over and over in your mind, and go over every possible outcome. You focus on how you not only want it to happen, but how you expect it to happen. Even though I raced this marathon hundreds of times in my mind while expecting this result... it's still a shock when it happens for real."
Unfortunately Domos was out of racing for the next 4 years, due to skin break-down and bone infection issues, but came back strong and won the 2017 Pittsburgh Marathon. But even more impressively, in August of 2016 Domos unofficially broke the 24-hour handcycling world record, by riding 407.7 miles in 24 hours, a world record he broke in Pittsburgh at the Bud Harris cycling track on Washington Blvd.
At age 49 Domos isn't slowing down. He now has his sight set on becoming a 3-time Pittsburgh Marathon champ and to officially break the 24-hour handcycling world record... and to bring the title back not only PIttsburgh, but the United States.
"I train incredibly hard and keep my body in good shape. I see no reason to retire from the sport, when I can still beat up on riders half my age."
Races, Rides and Challenges
2017
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August 23, 2017... World class cyclist Danny Chew challenged Attila to ride an ordinary street handcycle up Canton Ave.... known as the steepest paved city street in the world. At 37% grade, the hill looks like a wall. So.... here's what happened... |
Now a 2-time Pittsburgh Marathon champ, Attila dominated the 2017 Pittsburgh Marathon from beginning to end. The course changes made to this years' marathon while advantageous for runners, very slow for handcycles. There were a couple of spots which were "time suckers"... places where the riders had to make a U-turn, and in the one U-turn even had to then make an immediate left, only to go into an up-hill. In fact... Domos was the only rider to break the one hour and thirty minute mark. The high winds, coupled with the U-turns and seemingly never ending potholes and fills, made this year's marathon a fun and challenging, but slow track.
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There were quite a few riders who didn't show up for the 2017 Achilles International 10k in North Park, PA, because of the overnight frigid temperatures. But for the few who showed up, it was a quick and fun race. IT was a bit chilly, but the sun came out in time for the race, so life was all good.
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2016
The 2016 Dirty Dozen was on Saturday, November 26th. It started off great! We started at the Bud Harris track, where there was a big-screen set up with a LIVE skype feed of Danny Chew, my friend and race organizer, who had a paralyzing biking accident only two weeks after I "unofficially" broke the 24-hour handcycling world record, for which Danny trained me. It was great to see him with his neck-brace off, interacting with the crowd. The weather was cold... supposedly in the 40's, but it wasn't. The wind was very cold, and made it feel much more like in the low 20's. But the good part was that it didn't rain or snow, so I was able to blast through the hills. Where it took me 45 minutes or more to climb each of the first 7 hills last year (it rained all day), this year I got up in 10 to 20 minutes, so I was able to keep pace with the slower bicyclists.
I was amazed that I didn't have to stop at all going up hill 1, and on the second hill I only stopped once.
This year's hill 3 was different from last year. Apparently they had the other hill closed off for repairs, so the organizers settled on this hill in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh.
On hill 4, last year I really struggled. It was fresh asphalt, and since it was wet, mixed with the oil, it made it incredibly difficult. Cars were even slipping and sliding all over the place. The last 30 feet of the hill took me about 25 minutes to climb. I kept sliding back down. However... this year, I blew up the hill in around 10 minutes.
Hill 5 is absolutely brutal. It starts steep, and gets steeper. I spent about an hour and fifteen minutes here, last year and had to have two people push down on my bike, to give me any traction. To my surprise, today I got up the hill in about 20 minutes. But the pain... it's real!
I was blasting through the hills in record time, and then the unthinkable happened. I went down Realto St. (which leads to Rt. 28). This is a wickedly steep hill, but not very long, and it's perfectly straight. As I went to turn around on 28, my derailleur snapped, and with that, so was my Dirty Dozen day. It was a very disappointing way to have to bow out, but it was what it was.
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Attila's very first ride in his new handcycle named "The Beast"... a Force-X.
Video shot by Evan Bennett, at the Bud Harris track in Pittsburgh, PA. |
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THE 2016 PITTSBURGH MARATHON was a success for Attila. With an outdated handcycle and on two different antibiotics (fighting off yet one more infection), he was still able to finish 2nd, in pretty awful weather conditions. In fact, there were two wrecks in this race, due to slippery conditions and poor visibility because of the on/off heavy rain.
Attila IS looking for a sponsor. "Put me into a carbon-fiber bike with carbon-fiber rims, and see what happens. It'll shave at least 10 minutes off my time." You can contact Attila at: attiladomos@yahoo.com 0r 412 390-9539 |
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It was a very cold April 9th, 2016 for this year's Achilles International 10k in North Park, PA. Because of the snow, ice, freezing rain and cold wind conditions, along with temps only climbing into the high 20's/low 30's, only a handful of riders took part. Unfortunately the weather was brutal, but Attila's hard training paid off, as he beat the previous course record by nearly 5 minutes, and finished with a time of 19:53.
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2015
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While working out on December 12th of 2015, Attila decided to handcycle up Testa Street, one of Pittsburgh's most notorious hills, and the final hill in the world famous Dirty Dozen Bicycle Race. This hill is very tough on a regular bike, let alone a handcycle, but... Attila, keeping with his tradition of NOT shying away from a physical challenge, decided to give it a go. See for yourself....
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Dirty Dozen - 2015
One of the most challenging bike rides in the world. The course rides through the city of Pittsburgh, and goes up 13 of her most challenging hills. This is a brutal challenge for bicyclists, let alone handcyclists. Attila managed to finish 7 (3 unassisted, 4 assisted) of the official hills, even on this cold, rain soaked day on November 28th, 2015. The video is Rated -R... (language). Attila rode to raise money for Project R.U.N. https://www.crowdrise.com/KOSprojectrunPittsburgh2016 "We provide shoes to kids in need, we provide registrations, nutrition and transportation to the "Kids Marathon" on race weekend." - Patrice Matamoros (CEO Pittsburgh Marathon) |
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EQT 10-MILER - 2015
A fun and quick ride, back tracking on parts of the Pittsburgh Marathon. This is about as true of a riding challenge as you'll find. Lots of up-hills, but not of the steep variety. These are the kinds of hills that will slow you down to low double digit numbers. Part of today's challenge was the weather. It was wet, cold and very windy, but still was a fun ride. It's a great way to close out the year's city of Pittsburgh marathon style challenges. Unfortunately Attila was the only hand-cyclist riding this year, but the bright side is that it gave him a chance to wear his GoPro, and record the track. |
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The Richard S. Caliguiri "Great Race"(10k) - 2015
While this has been a tough year for Attila (health wise), he still managed to beat his previous time by 44 seconds, while racing with what turned out to be "strep of the bladder", again. The new 10K Great Race record is 18:30. It was a perfect day for a race. Not too cold, not too warm, and most of all, not much in the way of rain. If you're a handcyclist, you should join us next year. I promise you, this will be one of the most fun 10k's you'll ever race. |
PEDAL PITTSBURGH 2015
Disgusted with his failure to complete last year's ride, Attila was determined to remedy the situation. This year, he completed the 62-mile ride in just over 6 hours, and even rode an extra 8 miles (4 miles both to and from the start/finish line), which ended with him riding up Greenfield Ave, after already having ridden nearly 66 miles. The ride was filled with some of Pittsburgh's biggest and longest hills, including Troy Hill, and a long ride up to Mt. Washington. |
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08-21-2015
Video and results of Friday Night's handcycling race at the Bud Harris cycling track in Pittsburgh, PA. |
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Here we were on June 12, 2015, having some fun at the Bud Harris Cycling Track, on Washington Blvd in Pittsburgh, PA. The weather turned out to be our enemy, but we made the most of it. We still managed to set some records, with Attila taking the single lap record (1/2 mile) with a time of 1:22.
Ashli Molinero was going to race with us, but Marshall forgot his helmet, so she lent him hers, since she participated in these races the last time. So, the four riders who braved the elements were (right to left in the photo) Bryan McCormick, Marshall Lee Tempest, Attila Domos & Kenneth Bestine. |
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The 2015 Pittsburgh Marathon turned out to be a huge disappointment. Attila raced with a bladder infection, more specifically he had "strep of the bladder", a painful condition that leaves a person totally fatigued. Attila jumped on the competition and led the race for about the first mile, before he ran out of gas. He still managed to finish 9th out of 20 male racers. Not too bad, considering...
Here's video of Attila racing in the 2015 Achilles International 10K in Pittsburgh's North Park. He was killing the competition, until he got lost, and turned a 6 mile race into a 17 mile ride through the city's North Hills.
Needless to say, he didn't finish.
Needless to say, he didn't finish.
2014
The Richard S. Caliguiri "Great Race"(10k) - 2014 was basically a trial run by Attila And Ashli.
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The below video was shot via GoPro, and in POV style, at the 2014 Pedal Pittsburgh bike ride. Attila rode in the 62 mile event (the longest one), and it was a last minute thing, as a friend had to give up her ticket.
After being stuck in bed for 3.5 years, battling some nasty wounds and osteomyelitis, Attila is back! He raced his first 10K after training for only 1 week, and managed to finish 2nd! Here's the video of the Achilles International challenge in Pittsburgh (Allison Park), from April 13th, 2014...
Rain can't slow wheelchair marathon winner By Chris Harlan
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, May 3, 2010
Pittsburgh Marathoners' stories as numerous as falling raindrops
Monday, May 03, 2010By Robert Dvorchak, Kaitlynn Riely and Sara Bauknecht, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Some still images from the 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon.
Below is another video of Attila, goofing off with his (then) brand new bike.
Apparently you can spot Attila on buses, across the state of Pennsylvania. This photo was taken by Ann Kagan on August 9, 2013, in the Philadelphia area.
"I was very excited because my racing career WAS going to start in Dayton, OH on September 19, 2009," said Domos with a heavy sigh, "but... I came down with Osteomyelitis (a nasty bone infection). I was immediately put on Vancomycin, which was administered via a central line... 2X-day for 4 months, followed with 2 more months of healing and having to keep my weight off my butt. It really knocked me down, and once I recovered, I had to work extra hard to get in the kind of shape it takes to win a marathon. That's probably why winning that 2010 marathon felt so... great!
Attila had to miss the 2011 & 2012 Pittsburgh Marathons due to injury. While he didn't have the chance to defend his 2010 title, his friend Kenneth Bestine (from Westfield NY) took his place in the winner's circle. Congrats to Kenny for having won both marathons in Attila's absence. Kenny was kind enough to give Attila a "shout" after having defended his 2011 Pittsburgh Marathon title.
1996-2000 Power-lifting days.
Photos of Attila from his power-lifting years (1996-2000). Attila competed in AAU sanctioned competition for DRUG-FREE lifters. He won 1997 PA-STATES in his weight class.
1996 - "Attila vs the Mountain" (SCS fund raiser)
When asked about his favorite athletic feat, he claimed his 1996 hill-climb of one of Pittsburgh's most notorious streets (Sycamore St.), which is about a mile of very steep up-hill. The street was a part of the "Thrift-Drug Classic", a Pittsburgh bicycle race.
"That was one of the most challenging things I've trained for because I had no idea what to expect," said Domos. "There was no real way for me to train for the climb of that hill, so I found a bunch of very steep hills around my neighborhood, and climbed them over and over."
Q - Did you use any training secrets?
"Yes I did" Domos replied with a smile. "A friend of my fathers', who owns a machine shop, created a metal basket, which we attached under my wheelchair. The basket was strong enough to hold about 50 lbs of weight. I filled it with steel plates from my gym and pushed my way up all of the steep hills in my neighborhood."
Q - Was adding all of that weight to your training routine helpful?
Attila did not hesitate with his answer. "It most definitely was! I was looking to climb that hill in under an hour. The event was set up as a heavy weight bout, with 12 breaks in the ascend. Think of them as rounds. It turned out that I did NOT need them. I flew up the mile long hill in under 24 minutes!"Q - What made you want to climb that hill?
"It was for a good cause. I had a bit of a Julius Caesar moment. I saw the hill and figured that since no one's climbed it in a wheelchair, I wanted to be the first to conquer it" he said proudly. "I then had the idea to do it for a good cause, so... with the help of Peggy Oswalt, we turned it into a fund raiser event and raised nearly $12K for the Spinal Cord Society. The event turned out to draw quite a bit of local attention for spinal cord injuries and helped to raise awareness."
"That was one of the most challenging things I've trained for because I had no idea what to expect," said Domos. "There was no real way for me to train for the climb of that hill, so I found a bunch of very steep hills around my neighborhood, and climbed them over and over."
Q - Did you use any training secrets?
"Yes I did" Domos replied with a smile. "A friend of my fathers', who owns a machine shop, created a metal basket, which we attached under my wheelchair. The basket was strong enough to hold about 50 lbs of weight. I filled it with steel plates from my gym and pushed my way up all of the steep hills in my neighborhood."
Q - Was adding all of that weight to your training routine helpful?
Attila did not hesitate with his answer. "It most definitely was! I was looking to climb that hill in under an hour. The event was set up as a heavy weight bout, with 12 breaks in the ascend. Think of them as rounds. It turned out that I did NOT need them. I flew up the mile long hill in under 24 minutes!"Q - What made you want to climb that hill?
"It was for a good cause. I had a bit of a Julius Caesar moment. I saw the hill and figured that since no one's climbed it in a wheelchair, I wanted to be the first to conquer it" he said proudly. "I then had the idea to do it for a good cause, so... with the help of Peggy Oswalt, we turned it into a fund raiser event and raised nearly $12K for the Spinal Cord Society. The event turned out to draw quite a bit of local attention for spinal cord injuries and helped to raise awareness."
Below you can look at some photos of the type of training Attila did, to prepare for the monster climb.
The 2006 Cleveland Marathon.
A few photos of the Cleveland Marathon Attila raced in on May 21st, 2006. He raced in a borrowed char and quickly learned that he did NOT like the racing chairs.
"My ribs were black and blue the day after the race" said Domos. "To be in these chairs, you have to squat in a metal bucket-like thing, which is uncomfortable as hell to begin with. Add to that the fact that Cleveland was full of potholes, which I had trouble avoiding, so... every time I hit one of these holes, I took a metal punch into one or both of my ribs. Doing this over and over for 26 miles most definitely adds up."
"Now that I think of it" he said as he let out a chuckle, "that entire day was a disaster. My brother and I got caught up in Sunday morning marathon traffic as we got near Cleveland, I got completely soaked through the first half of the race, almost got hit by a car, which ran a red-light... right in front of a cop, and to top it all off... I got a flat in my left tire about half way into the race, so I had to finish the last 10 plus miles with that flat (see picture on the left). It was a total train wreck from start to finish. It's no surprise it took me about 3 hours to finish the whole thing!"
When asked if there was anything he liked about the marathon, his response was quick.
"In spite of all that, I had a great time. I didn't go into the marathon with any expectations other than to see if I can finish the 26.2 miles. Of course, once I got the flat tire, my race turned into a site seeing tour of the city. Having said that, I learned a lot from that day. That debacle in Cleveland gave me the experience I needed to help me win the 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon. I took everything I learned that day, dissected it, and made sure that I did NOT repeat the same mistakes."
"My ribs were black and blue the day after the race" said Domos. "To be in these chairs, you have to squat in a metal bucket-like thing, which is uncomfortable as hell to begin with. Add to that the fact that Cleveland was full of potholes, which I had trouble avoiding, so... every time I hit one of these holes, I took a metal punch into one or both of my ribs. Doing this over and over for 26 miles most definitely adds up."
"Now that I think of it" he said as he let out a chuckle, "that entire day was a disaster. My brother and I got caught up in Sunday morning marathon traffic as we got near Cleveland, I got completely soaked through the first half of the race, almost got hit by a car, which ran a red-light... right in front of a cop, and to top it all off... I got a flat in my left tire about half way into the race, so I had to finish the last 10 plus miles with that flat (see picture on the left). It was a total train wreck from start to finish. It's no surprise it took me about 3 hours to finish the whole thing!"
When asked if there was anything he liked about the marathon, his response was quick.
"In spite of all that, I had a great time. I didn't go into the marathon with any expectations other than to see if I can finish the 26.2 miles. Of course, once I got the flat tire, my race turned into a site seeing tour of the city. Having said that, I learned a lot from that day. That debacle in Cleveland gave me the experience I needed to help me win the 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon. I took everything I learned that day, dissected it, and made sure that I did NOT repeat the same mistakes."
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