More than 260 athletes competed in the wheelchair and handcycle divisions of the ING New York City Marathon November 6. They came from countries including Grozny/Chechnya, Venezuela, Brazil, Japan, Ecuador, Denmark and Britain and had disabilities including blindness, paraplegia and amputations.
The male winner in the pushrim wheelchair division was Masazumi Soejima of Japan with a time of 1:31:41, who made history by becoming the first winner from Japan in any marathon division. The winning female wheelchair athlete was Amanda McGrory of Illinois with a completion time of 1:50:24.
The female winner in the handcycle division was Renata Kaluza of Poland with a finishing time of 1:49:49. The male handcycle winner was Alessandro Zanardi of Italy, who finished the race in 1:13:58.
[Pictured: Joseph Beimfohr and Anthony Robinson.]
The New York Road Runners, the non-profit organization that manages the race, listed 49 athletes completing the race using wheelchairs and 93 athletes who finished in handcycles. The Achilles Track Club recruited and trained many of the athletes with disabilities who entered the race. Founder Dick Traum said not all of the 260 Achilles participants identified themselves as members when they registered.
“To me it’s a real challenge and it’s healthy for me because I get out in the air and exercise. It’s very good for you. I love that challenge. If I finish I’m happy,” she said.
However, Murphy said she had to slow down due to crowding after she passed Central Park. In the past, people who had slow times in prior years were able to start the race several hours early but that was not the case this year. Wheelchair racers started at 8:30 a.m. and handcycle athletes began at 8:55 a.m. Professional women runners started at 9:10 a.m. and professional male runners began at 9:40 a.m.
Traum said one person from Venezuela finished the race in 15 hours, arriving at midnight to a crowd of 1,000 people waiting to greet him. Traum lamented that the man was not able to start earlier and said Road Runners made the change due to concerns about safety. Road Runners did not respond to requests for comment.
“I think it’s a lot more dangerous for them to be on the streets of the city without water or medical assistance,” Traum said. Twenty-five people were affected by the change.
Another twenty-five athletes participated through the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans. Most used handcycles and a few ran on foot. The team has trained about 1,000 wounded veterans from Walter Reed Hospital since 2004.
Director Genna Griffith said, “I know many of those who participated were wounded about a year ago and to be able to participate in a major world event side-by-side with other athletes gives them the confidence and the courage to continue to succeed in other aspects of their lives.”
Retired Lt. Melissa Stockwell, who joined the Operation Iraqi Freedom Team in 2004 and then became a member of the Achilles Freedom Team as a handcycle athlete later that year, competed on foot as an above the knee amputee for the first time this year. She finished in about six hours.
The Union League Club in Manhattan provided complimentary lobster and steak dinners and lodging to the Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans participants the night before the marathon and Air Compassion for Veterans provided complimentary flights for international participants, Griffith said.
This article was published in the December 2011 issue of Able News.
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