A special group of athletes was among the 38,000 runners racing the New York City Marathon this past weekend on November 2nd. The Madison Chapter of the Achilles Track Club sent four handcyclists and two runners, all of whom finished the race. Monica Kamal Rossa, Peter Greenwood, Brad Dakan, Dawn Ziegler, Kathy Ducat, and Jim Cunningham proudly represented Madison Achilles. A national organization, Achilles aims to enable people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics, promote personal achievement, enhance self esteem, and lower barriers. As many of you know it is challenging to participate in a marathon, but these athletes face some additional obstacles, and we wanted to share their experiences.
Kathy Ducat, a visually impaired runner from Madison, had this to say about her marathon experience:
"It was 100% wonderful from the beginning of my training to the recovery of my aching legs! . . . The morning of the race was beautifully chilly. We caught a bus which took us an hour just to get to Staten Island. As we crossed the bridge, the sun rose above the skyline shining warmly on those who accepted this marathon challenge. . . . My team of guides decided to call us Kathy's Curds. Kim Virden, our Madison Achilles Chapter Founder, ran the first 8 miles with us. Jim, my partner, also outfitted in his Madison Achilles singlet, ran with us the first 5 miles. From that point on, it was Diane Pasquaretta of Falmouth, MA, and Lisa Sher of Boston, MA parting the sea of clothes, cups, and even runners in order to safely guide me down the roads. At most times one of the guides would hold one end of a rope and I would hold the other. The guide not holding the rope would run ahead and tell the crowd my name. By the time I approached, the fans were all shouting encouragement using my name "Go Kathy!!!". That was powerful. Lisa and Diane would tell me about the sites they could see along our route. It was fun to get an idea of just how much distance we were covering. . . . I've got to say, it was painful working my way through the miles. My guides were really doing a super job trying to keep me going forward. During the last half mile, they kept me running. 'No matter if you walk or run, everything hurts at this point, so you may as well go for it'."
Brad Dakan, a t-4 paraplegic handcyclist, also shared his race-day experience with us:
"The NY Marathon was a great experience for me. This was my first marathon and I plan on doing many more. New York is a big city with a lot of big hearted people and they created an atmosphere that made me feel welcome to their city. The beginning of the race was very cold and quiet going over the bridge, but once i crossed over it and heard their cheers of encouragement it brought a tear to my eye and it became a pleasure to ride through their city. Once I entered the Central Park area my arms finally warmed up and i couldn't stop smiling knowing i made it to the end. I only wish there was a way to say thanks to everyone in New York for their support."
Again, we want to extend congratulations to Brad, Kathy, and all of the Achilles athletes. To learn more about this great organization visit Achilles Track Club.
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