Tossed into the air from a bomb explosion and feeling he was on the verge of dying, Krige Schabort prayed for a second chance.

Twenty years later, he still uses that experience to push him through the second chance he was granted.

Schabort, 44, the Honolulu Marathon Hall of Fame's only wheelchair member, will be going after his eighth title in Sunday's wheelchair portion of the race.

Competitors tackle the same 26.2-mile route as those running it, endure a tough upper-body workout, face tough competition and sometimes uncontrollable factors runners don't face like a flat tire or potholes.

"I just started praying for a second chance in life," said Schabort, who drew on his strong Christian faith. "That's one of the things that really motivated me to go on. I know I was close to death. I wanted to make use of the second chance."

Schabort, then a member of the South African military, lost both of his legs during an air attack in Angola when a bomb exploded two yards away in 1987. He discovered wheelchair racing during rehabilitation and continued being an athlete. He grew up playing rugby, tennis and any sport that involved a ball, running and surfing.

He has spent the past 18 years wheelchair racing and winning in a sport that has grown dramatically with technology. He has won the New York, Detroit, Columbus (Ohio) and Twin Cities (Minn.) marathons. He has been a member of the South African Paralympics team since 1992 and will train for Beijing next year.

"When I started racing, the technology was way behind what it is now," said Schabort, who now lives in Georgia. "No carbon fiber wheels, really short racing wheelchairs. Chairs are a lot more customized, carbon fiber disc wheels really improved the times of marathons and the sport itself."

One hour, 35 minutes used to be a good winning marathon time. Now you have to hit a sub-1:30 to stand a chance.

Masazumi Soejima of Japan, the two-time Honolulu Marathon men's champion, returns this year. He finished in 1:29:22 last year, eight minutes ahead of Schabort.

"(Soejima) beat me the last two years and he's very good," Schabort said. "I hope it can turn out to be a good race between me and him. (But) there could be someone else."

Wakako Tsuchida of Japan, the 2003 and 2005 women's winner, also is in this year's event. Soejima and Tsuchida won this year's Boston Marathon.

Schabort was inducted into the Honolulu Marathon Hall of Fame in 2004, which he said is "the greatest award I ever received." He was also nominated this summer for an ESPY for best male athlete with a disability.

"I couldn't believe it," Schabort said of the ESPY. "It was something very special to me. I was honored to have that on my list. It motivates to me to keep on going with my God given talents."

Schabort's yearly returns to the marathon are for more than just racing. It's also a chance to spend time with his family and to hit the surf.

"When I was a young boy, I loved surfing," Schabort said. "Surfing was magazines, everything was just about watching the photos, seeing guys like Buzzy Kerbox surf the big waves. I never thought I would come to Hawai'i.

"To come race, to experience the whole atmosphere, this is probably the greatest place on the planet to be. Every year is so nice. The nicest thing is I can leave here thinking I'm coming back next year."

Reach Stanley Lee at sktlee@honoluluadvertiser.com.