Once Told He'd Never Walk Again, Ellefson Now Races

Menifee resident Ryan Ellefson will race from Dana Point to Oceanside and back on Sept. 13 after winning his last race. Photos courtesy pwcoffshore.com

Nine years ago, Ryan Ellefson was told by doctors he would never walk again. After his pelvis, right hip, right shoulder and ribs were crushed in a motorcycle accident while riding to work, Ellefson found himself in a very dark place.

"I was going through a lot of mental and physical things," said Ellefson, 39, who moved to Menifee from Murrieta with his wife a year and a half ago. "Overcoming that was a huge thing for me. I was in the hospital 35-40 minutes away from everyone, and nobody wanted to drive out all the time to visit. You lay there hearing all these things, and it put me in a bad spot. Finally I got my life back on the straight and narrow."

Today, Ellefson speaks about the recovery from his 2006 accident in almost a matter-of-fact way. In reality, it's a minor miracle that he's up and walking. After more than a year of therapy, soul searching and hard work, he able to become mobile again. Yet that's nothing compared to what he's doing now.

On Sunday, Sept. 13, Ellefson will race his 2015 Yamaha jet ski from Dana Point to Oceanside and back -- a distance of about 55 miles -- in his third career race of the International Jet Boat Association series. Previously a dirt bike racer, Ellefson is now establishing himself as one of the top newcomers on the water sports racing scene.

Last July, Ellefson finished first in the 4-stroke Naturally Aspirated class in an IJSBA race from Long Beach to Catalina and back, finishing ninth overall in a field that included many racers in the higher open class, where racers can use superchargers and turbos for greater speeds. Ellefson covered the distance in one hour, 2.22 minutes.

Ellefson's jet ski is similar to those many enthusiasts use on local lakes and in the ocean, except his has a specialized bilge pump to remove excess water and a GPS system. This helps him race as accurately as possible to the turn boat, where his time is recorded and where he turns right around and heads back to the starting point.

"My ski also has foot wedges to allow me to lock my feet underneath me," Ellefson said. "When you're out there and the swells are three or four feet, it's a race. We're not slowing down to 20 mph. We hit those swells just like jumps and we fly. If you don't have these, your feet are coming out of the tray and you're sliding all around."

Ellefson trains by riding 60-90 miles on the ocean at least once a week. He also does mountain biking and crossfit training to prepare his recovering body for the physical challenges of racing.

"After about 15 or 20 minutes on a ski, you're tired," he said. "But there's no sitting down for a break. Everyone will pass you. Most people feel their arms start to burn first. Me, I'm fighting my hip and pelvis a lot. I just think of that as another one of the challenges I'll live with the rest of my life. I just pretend I'm like everyone else and go for it."

As Ellefson began to get around without a wheelchair or crutches following his accident, he first got back on a motorcyle -- a passion he has had since he rode with his father as a young man.

"A couple friends came over when I was a little better off," he recalled. "I couldn't start the bike myself but they would start it and I would take it up the street a bit. The recovery was months and months.

"It took a lot of therapy and my own sense of well being. During that time, they say God brings all these things to you at the right time. During that time I met my wife. She helped me through it. We would do silly things. We'd go to Disneyland just to be someplace my spirits were a little higher. I would be on crutches or a cane but we would go there and walk all the different paths, just to be there in a little better place."

Today, Ellefson is in a much better place.