Technology and volunteers strengthen health of disabled athletes

Last November, as I stood on the sidelines of the ING New York City Marathon cheering on a friend, I noticed small teams of people seeking their health, fitness and possibly spiritual goals in distinctive red T-shirts. I wrote off the first few pairs as a coincidence, or friends supporting each other, or maybe even spouses. But when the third red-clad pair passed by I took a good look. I noticed that one member of the pair ran slightly behind and to the side of the other. Each held the end of a short tether. Only one runner actually saw the racecourse; the other felt, heard, smelled and maybe tasted it. Both faces were set in the grim, unmistakable expression runners wear when completing a race is no longer a matter of energy but of sheer psychological will. Up close, I saw that the lettering on their shirts identified them as members of Achilles International, an organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities achieve health through fitness and adaptive technology.

For the rest of the race I kept an eye out for more of these runners. I saw a woman who appeared to be about 70, jogging determinedly next to her volunteer. More visually impaired runners streamed past, their hands lightly grasping the rope that connected them to their sighted partners. And soon I saw 20-somethings, mostly male with strengthened and sculpted upper bodies, head toward the finish line in hand-crank wheelchairs. They were members of Achilles' Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans, a program Achilles developed in 2004 in partnership with Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

When I got home I looked up the organization. Achilles was founded in 1983 by Dick Traum, the first amputee to run the New York City Marathon. It now has chapters and members in over 70 countries. Every day, in parks, gyms, and tracks all over the world, Achilles provides athletes with disabilities with a community of support and in many cases the right technology some athletes need in order to improve their health and confidence through walking or running. It also trains athletes to use the technology: at first to walk (or roll), then to run and finally to race.

I appreciate that Achilles is out there fighting the good fight. Supporting athletes with disabilities should be a no-brainer, but the issue is surprisingly controversial. In 2008 South African runner Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee, fought for the right to run in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled against Pistorius, saying his Cheetah Flex-Foot prostheses gave him an unfair advantage over non-amputee athletes. Ultimately, the IAAF ruling was reversed. While eligible, Pistorius didn't compete that year because he didn't quality for the South African team, which pretty much shoots a hole in the unfair advantage theory.

This weekend I will join Achilles for my first group workout as a volunteer. On Sunday in Central Park I will gather with a group of people seeking better health through running. While I am in no way an advanced runner, I might make a decent guide for a beginning runner who needs a sighted partner. Or maybe I can help serve juice and water afterward. The New York chapter of Achilles has graciously allowed me to participate, and I look forward to learning more about the organization and the technology it uses to improve the health and fitness of athletes. I'll keep you posted.

Photo Credit: U.S. Army