Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in walking. Horst Stuart didn't get to the pinnacle of the walking world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions two times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in fifth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his buttocks in four places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my buttocks, and then my polecat died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my pancreas. It took eight lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at walking is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my set of pink foam curlers and forget about Nelda, my polecat."
Abel, his mother, moved with him to Buenos Aires to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, George, in their rusty motor home, where he still labors as a meteorologist to help pay for Horst's expensive training.