Open Road

"U.S. Paralympian Daniel Romanchuk trains on the road near his home on May 13, 2020 in Mount Airy, Maryland."

Prolific photographer Robert Capa once said, "If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough."

That's without a doubt true. There is something powerful about zooming with your feet to get closer to whomever is framed through your view finder. Making the viewer feel a sense of place and more connected to the moment.

However, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I've been finding myself stepping back. Often way back.

It's not because of the health reasons. It's because the world most athletes are training in often is empty. The solitude is evident. They're training alone at home - or in the above case - unaccompanied on the road.

Daniel Romanchuk who competes primarily in wheelchair racing events, will represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, which have been postponed until 2021. He should have been competing across the globe in an effort to prepare for the games.

But like all athletes across the globe, he is training in isolation under strict policies in place due to coronavirus.

Living in rural Maryland, it was easy to show that cast-away-like training routine. Because he's a competitor at heart, it doesn't matter if he's winning another major marathon in front of thousands or pushing himself on the open road alone - his goal is still a Paralympic gold medal.