By Eamonn Tiernan
Ben Henderson is back on track for a dream Commonwealth Games berth almost six years after a mosquito bite threatened to derail his mountain biking career.
While racing on Malaysian island Langkawi in 2011, Henderson contracted the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus and Epstein-Barr virus after he was bitten more than 50 times.
Ben Henderson contracted Chikungunya virus in Malaysia after 50 mosquito bites in 2011.Credit: Jay Cronan
The rare disease left Henderson bed-ridden for six months and a two-year battle with chronic fatigue, before fighting back and competing at his first nationals in six years last month.
The comeback road has been long and arduous but Henderson said joining his sister Bec at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast next April would make it all worth while.
"I couldn't do anything for the first six months, not even go for a walk. I had to get help with things and pretty much lost my independence, it was really hard," Henderson said.
"It was an extremely slow and frustrating process but over the next few years I tried to keep pushing and it has been a gradual process of finding my limit and staying below it.
"I've tried to stay positive throughout with the old saying 'whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger', but I think it happened for a reason and I learnt a lot from the experience which has made me a better athlete."
Henderson was riding for a spot at the 2012 London Olympics when he was felled, a positioned which eventually went to his brother-in-law Dan McConnell.
At the nationals in Queensland last month Henderson couldn't match his runner-up performance in 2009 and secured 13th, but backed up at the Oceania Championships with a second career top-10 finish.
On Sunday Henderson will turn his attention to the Canberra Running Festival where he will attempt his first half-marathon to raise money for menslink.
"In my first training I ran 2.7km and could hardly walk the next day so I thought it may have been an unrealistic goal, but I kept going and persisted and got better," Henderson.
"Running helps riding but riding doesn't help running because there isn't much crossover in the legs, I basically can't run fast enough to push my lungs to capacity.
"I've never done a half-marathon and the longest I've run is only 7km, cyclist make terrible runners in general but I'm confident I'll finish no matter what."
Menslink is a charity which provides counselling and mentoring for young men in Canberra and Henderson has previously raised money for organisation.
"My journey has been a pretty big mental challenge so that's why I like supporting menslink," Henderson said.
"Some people get in tough situations which aren't of their doing and have to live some pretty hard lives, so it's a great cause to get behind."
To donate visit: https://www.mycause.com.au/page/147808/bens-half-marathon-for-menslink