She lives in Wahiawa and must bus two hours to Ala Wai to train.

She also suffers from neuropathy, a degenerative condition that has relegated her to a wheelchair since 1996.

Next month she'll compete with a handicapped team in a new exhibition event at the World Sprints — referred to as the Olympics of outrigger canoe racing — in Hilo Aug. 9 through 15. And she is thrilled.

"This is amazing," said the 57-year-old McClain, who at 10 was first diagnosed with the condition of which there is no known cure. "This is like the premiere event for paddlers. It is really something to be there."

Teams from the Mainland U.S., Italy and Canada will take part in the adaptive paddling exhibition. Some of Hawai'i's top able-bodied paddlers from several different canoe clubs will assist Team Hawai'i in a double-hulled canoe race.

Starting from scratch

Under the umbrella of a church ministry called Project Pure Light, master steersman Aka Hemmings and Michi Wong have worked tirelessly to create an adaptive paddling program for people with disabilities.

It started as a fun activity on Saturdays, just to get people out on the water. But now coach and crew have a chance to race, and they smell victory.

"We're not giving anybody anything," Hemmings joked. "We're going for the win. No aloha on the water!"

Mike Judd, one of the able-bodied paddlers who will compete with the crew in Hilo, believes the race will transcend the championships.

"I think there's going to be some pretty neat camaraderie, which is bigger than the competition that's happening," he said.

He hopes it inspires people to start programs like this one in other areas of the country.

"This can happen in any community, and it can even happen on other parts of O'ahu," he said.

Hemmings started the training session by lifting Dawna Zane, 22, from her wheelchair to the canoe seat, where he secures her with harnesses and floatation supports. A car accident four years ago left the Mid-Pacific Institute graduate (and former paddler) a paraplegic.

"We had to make a lot of adaptations," said Zane, who completed the Honolulu Marathon in her wheelchair last year. "I never thought I'd be paddling again. It's really exciting to be competing in something this big."

Adapting equipment

Hemmings rigged plastic classroom chairs with backs over the built-in canoe benches, then made adjustments for each paddler.

Michael Cheek, 29, another member of the crew, had a brain tumor that left one arm paralyzed. He uses a short paddle rigged to the boat with materials available at any hardware store: a metal ring and a vise or two.

"Some of these things," Hemmings admitted, "we're improvising."

Aka Hemmings secures Dawna Zane in her seat before practice.

"When this came, I jumped at it," he said. "It's awesome."

Like Judd, these athletes believe that the opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of thousands of people will have lingering positive effects.

"There's a lot of stereotyping of people in wheelchairs," said McClain, who has completed the 2.4-mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim. "They think we're so weak and fragile that we're going to break. A lot of people have been told not to even breathe or they might hurt themselves."

What does she want the able-bodied public to know?

"Even though our bodies aren't normal, we're just regular people."

Her subsequent comment about possessing sound minds despite deteriorating bodies is quickly met with a good-natured ribbing from Hemmings, who loudly questioned the group's intellectual acumen.

Cheek shouted, "I have an excuse; I had a brain tumor!"

Everyone laughed. And so the tone for practice was set.

Aside from a few physical adjustments, nobody is treated differently. And that's what makes it special.

Feeling part of community activities is important "because there's a lot of activities I don't feel a part of," said Susannah Rice, a 34-year-old crew member who is partially paralyzed.