“There are too many taboos to talk about disability and how a person with a disability wants to live”

Is called Alex Roca (Barcelona, ​​1991). An athlete, he studied a medium degree in business administration and a higher degree in Social Integration. He drives his own car, is married, worked as an accountant and now gives motivational talks and sports are part of his life and work.

All this, with 76% physical disability due to cerebral palsy, now expresses himself through sign language with his wife. Come on Carmen Maza as an interpreter. He contracted herpetic viral encephalitis when he was six months old and underwent two surgeries when he was little. But he’s Alex Roca, he doesn’t believe in limits.

He completed 70 races of 5 and 10 kilometers, five triathlons and an aquatlon, the Titan Desert Morocco 2019after not finishing it in 2018, and six half marathons -the last one on February 19 and accompanied by his team, which also includes the journalist-ultra-marathon runner Valentí Sanjuan-, his third is the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona, ​​​​to set his best mark in a half marathon at 02:24 in 2021. Today, on March 19, he wants to become the first person with cerebral palsy to run 42,195 km of Zurich Marathon Barcelona.

What opportunities does running give you to continue to be an example of self-improvement?

“I played tennis and went skiing. I play on a soccer team, but now, to reduce the risk of injury, I focus more on doing triathlons, playing paddle tennis, cycling and running. I don’t choose sports for their media impact, but for what they bring to me. Running makes me connect my body and my mind in an incredible way. For me it’s a team sport. I don’t run alone. I run with my people and many professionals who help me take care of my body and improve my results”.

You started running in 2014 5K and 10K races. Almost 10 years later, you’ve completed several half marathons. Why is now the time to run a marathon?

“Since 2014 I have run 5 and 10 kilometer races, pulling motivation. And then, in 2017, I realized that sport had to be part of my daily routine. It got me moving, helped me send messages and it helped me with my health and my self-esteem. Running a marathon is a dream for any amateur athlete. This is a difficult challenge to achieve, but possible. It might be harder for me than most people. But I want to achieve it. 42 kilometers is a lot. I consider it as a race with several stages, to be well prepared physically and mentally. I want to run the marathon as a metaphor for the course of my life and make history. No one with 76% physical disability and cerebral palsy has ever run this distance. I want to show the world that, as Nike says, ‘who has a body, is an athlete’.

Why did you choose your first marathon to be the Zurich Marató Barcelona?

“What better place to make history than Barcelona? This is my city, my home.”

You have achieved sports achievements that other people find impossible to achieve.

“I don’t like to compare myself. Everyone fights or works, within their possibilities, for what they believe they should or can fight for. I fight for difficult causes because I do it as a team and I am very happy to improve myself every day. Everyone has to find what makes them happy. Being with your people, painting, singing, writing, reading… doing anything that moves the ours is also happiness. I also enjoy being with my friends, with my partner or watching FC Barcelona football matches, I’m a culé to the core. There are other things that help me disconnect to be able to face sporting challenges”.

If you run, they will run with you. There are people who share your dreams and make them happen as well. How has your life changed in the months leading up to the Barcelona Marathon?

“Most of the time I share it with my wife. I think we will only be apart when he goes to college. He really enjoyed going and so did I. I do all the training sessions and races with him, my mother-in-law and my coach, although sometimes my friends also come to train and help me disconnect. The last four months I have focused on the Marató. I still miss moments of leisure, I won’t deny it. But this challenge deserves my attention.

You’ve written a book, you’ve studied, you drive, you’ve married, you’ve overcome sporting challenges, you’re now an ambassador for the FC Barcelona Foundation… achievements that not everyone can achieve. .

“I was very lucky. And, to be appreciated, every day I give my best. But that also includes days of pause and reflection. This fight has not been easy and it is not easy, it is a daily challenge. I suffered a very difficult moment. Now I am reaping what I have sown”.

What challenges lie ahead?

“I don’t think about more than finishing the Marathon. First I have to take this challenge to propose another one. Of course, my daily emotional challenge is to be happy. There is nothing greater than that.”

Are there still many prejudices in dealing with the issue of disabilities?

“Unfortunately, there is so much taboo around talking about disability and how every person with a disability wants to live. The problem is not the terminology, it is how it is actually applied in society. It is increasingly recognized and understood that people with disabilities want and have their own voice to decide about their lives. But there is still a long way to go when it comes to moving from theory to practice”.

Who really has the power to change this situation is acting here?

“I give a lot of conferences to big companies fighting for integration with Nike or as an ambassador for the FC Barcelona Foundation. They are by my side and their commitment is firm. Surely there are other people who can answer more clearly the this question. I, for my part, set myself this great challenge of running a marathon so that the great actors in society are aware of what it takes to improve as a society. Hopefully more it is still among us who fight for integration”.

[Para Mari Carme Maza]As Alex’s wife, what needs to be changed so that Alex’s case is no longer an exception?

“More information is needed. Overprotection should be avoided. Communicating and being visible is essential for the world to develop in an inclusive way. For me, Alex is just one. But I hope that in the next few years there will be more cases like yours and we will be closer. The most difficult thing is to break the barrier of prejudices. As Alex’s partner, I have been asked many times why I want to be with a person with cerebral and physical palsy. Or when Alex wants to study or get a driver’s license, sometimes they seem to want to get in the way. The solution is to start with the children. Alex’s goal is to give visibility, raise awareness among new generations and do his part so that more people with disabilities can practice sport”.

So when someone thinks about Alex Roca’s legacy, they think of…

“In a motivated life. When you hear my name, I want you to think of the constant struggle to be happy and make dreams come true, using sport as a tool to break down the barriers of prejudice. I want to be a model to look at. That there are many people who believe that they cannot do according to what, see that it is possible. Being a source of inspiration for them by seeing my strength and resilience.”