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SARAH REINERTSEN |
MICHAEL MCNAUGHTON |
AMY PALMIERO-
WINTERS
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PAUL MARTIN |
MATT HENDERSON |
Running can be a part of any amputee’s lifestyle. Participation in sports by the disabled has enjoyed a rapid growth over the past 20 years, and running 5Ks, half marathons, marathons, and even triathlons are within reach of an amputee or wheelchair-user. Advances in prosthetic knees and feet, wheelchair equipment, and a general awareness of the benefits of physical fitness make running/racing a viable option for anyone who wants to train and make a commitment to the lifestyle. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat are no longer limited to the able.
Dick Traum, founder of the Achilles Track Club for disabled athletes, was the first runner to complete a marathon with a prosthetic leg in the 1976 New York City Marathon. High-tech prosthetics weren’t available; he ran with a strap-on leg. His finish that day was seven hours and 24 minutes.
Traum has competed in 10 marathons and one ultra-marathon (100K/more than 60 miles). He also has competed in the hand-crank wheelchair race in two marathons and in one ultra-marathon.
There are many disabled runners who have captured national media attention for their abilities, including Sarah Reinertsen (the first amputee runner to be on the cover of Runner’s World magazine), Amy Dodson, and Aimee Mullins. Among the legendary pioneers are, Chris Moon, Paul Martin, Jim McLaren, and Mark Soldo.
Up and comers include Amy Palmiero-Winters, who broke the world record for female below-knee (BK) amputees by posting a finish time of 3:04:16 in the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. She also was a standout in the 2006 Rite-Aid Cleveland Marathon and broke the BK world record by more than 25 minutes with a time of 3:26. Palmiero-Winters ran the 2007 Boston Marathon under adverse weather conditions and finished with a time of 3:44:18.
Wounded Warriors also continue to pursue a variety of athletic competitions. Runners include Sgt.1st Class Michael McNaughton, who made headlines when he ran a mile with President George W. Bush in 2004. On Jan. 9, 2005, two years after he lost his leg, he ran the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. In March 2005, he participated in the Bataan Memorial Death March.
Army Spc. James Stuck was wounded by an IED in December 2005, resulting in an amputation. Less than a year later he ran the Army 10 Miler race as a member of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center team. Today, he is training for the Beijing Paralympics at the University of Central Oklahoma, an official Paralympic training site. In an interview with a local newspaper, Stuck said: “Everyone has good and bad days, but I have a tendency to look at the glass as half full. I will be running and my stump hurts, but at least I can say, ‘I’m running, I’m still alive.’” |
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Denny Chipollini hits his stride.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Ossur Americas, Prosthetics |
C.J. Howard: Broke his own world record at the 2006 Santa Clarita Marathon half-marathon with a time of 1:21:46.
Anthony Grossi: Took first among all disabled marathoners in the 2006 Boston Marathon with a time of 5:15:50.
Kevin Counihan: Placed third among all disabled marathoners in the 2006 Boston Marathon with a time of 5:21:50.
Denny Chipollini: Member of Team Ossur since 2002, has run marathons/triathlons in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Diego, and New York.
Amy Dodson: Broke the record in 2002 for female leg amputees. She took first place in the Physically Challenged Female division of the 2005 Ford New York City Triathlon, and participated in the 2006 New York City Triathlon, alongside Amy Winters, Sarah Reinertsen, and Paul Martin.
Sarah Reinertsen: The first female above-knee amputee to complete the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon; 2006 ESPY Award winner. Ran her first marathon in 1997.
Paul Martin: Paralympic champion and Team Ossur member, champion cyclist and triathlon winner. Ran the 2006 Run To Remember Half Marathon in Boston (1:30:56) and the Half Marathon National Championships in Coronado, Calif.
Tanya J. Skypeck: Placed second among all disabled marathoners in the 2006 Boston Marathon with a time of 5:16:11.
David McGranahan: One of the 31 physically challenged athletes going to the World Championships after winning the 2006 USA Triathlon Physically Challenged National Championships at the Nautica New York City Triathlon.
Matt Henderson: Team Ossur member. Placed first in Xterra West Coast Champs in 2006; second in the ING New York City Marathon in 2005. Bronze medal in ITU World Championships, Hawaii, 2005; fourth place, 2006 ITU World Championships, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Career Highlight: 1:26:01, national record, 2005 Grandma’s Marathon, Minn. Heilveil took first place in more than a dozen national and international races.
Current Residence: Longmont, Col.
Occupation: Racer
Trivia: Heilveil was born in Korea and adopted by the Heilveils in Hawaii. He was a wheelchair racer on the “Grand Prix” episode of Northern Exposure in 1994.
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Career Highlight: 1:30:53, 2005 Grandma’s Marathon, Minn. Bleakney competed in the last two Paralympic Games, and has been the champion or runner up in five marathons.
Current Residence: Savoy, Ill.
Occupation: Head Coach, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Wheelchair Track & Road Racing Team
Trivia: Just five years after becoming paralyzed in a mountain biking race, Bleakney competed in the 2000 Paralympic Games.
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Career Highlight: 1:29:59, Boston Marathon. Iniguez competed in two Paralympic Games. He holds the national record for 1500 meters (2:58:00) and has finished first in seven marathons.
Current Residence: Bolingbrook, Ill.
Occupation: High School Visual Arts, Drawing, and Painting Teacher
Trivia: Iniguez was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and he developed Polio at the age of 2. He has been a public school teacher for more than 10 years.
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Career Highlight: In 2002, Reilly was selected to the World Games and competed in the 100m, 400m, 800m, and marathon. Reilly finished the 2006 Boston Marathon with a time of 1:53:44, and the 2006 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:10:09. Top women’s finisher in 2006 Post-News Colorado Colfax Marathon with 2:01:07.
Current Residence: Los Gatos, Calif., and Tucson, Ariz.
Occupation: Student
Trivia: Reilly is an Eskimo with humble beginnings in Anchorage, Alaska
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Career Highlight: McGrory enters 2007 ranked as America’s top female wheelchair marathoner, finishing first in the 2006 ING New York City Marathon and 2006 Grandma’s Marathon. She was the runner up in the 2006 Oita Marathon, and she won a gold medal in the 2006 IPC World Championships, in Assen, The Netherlands.
Current Residence: Champaign, Ill.
Occupation: College Student (majoring in Psychology)
Trivia: McGrory entered her first marathon on a bribe one year ago, and went on to win multiple marathons.
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Career Highlight: Galli is a two-time Paralympian with four medals in the 2006 IPC World Championships.
Current Residence: Savoy, Ill.
Occupation: Graduate Student (majoring in Community Health)
Trivia: Galli has been racing since she was eight years old, making the U.S. Paralympic team by the age of 16.
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By Lindsay Tresemer
Think marathons are just for super athletes who’ve spent their lives training? Think again. Take Amanda McGrory – America’s current top female wheelchair marathoner. She entered her first marathon on a bribe a year ago, and if you’re like her, entering a race could be your first step toward winning the ING New York City Wheelchair Marathon.
“Desire is the most important factor in the success of any athlete,” American jockey Bill Shoemaker once said. Do you have that desire to stretch your physical boundaries, to watch the road disappear beneath your wheels, to race beside others who are driven by the same desire that drives you, with a view of the finish line ahead?
Desire may be most important, but it isn’t the only factor that makes an athlete successful. Adam Bleakney knows – in the last five years, he was the champion in three marathons and the runner-up in two, with a personal best time of 1:30:53 (2005 Grandma’s Marathon, Minnesota).
Bleakney shared with us his expertise – not just from 11 years of marathon racing, but also from training and competing in the Paralympics and from his career as the head coach of the wheelchair track and road racing squad at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
When we asked him what newcomers should do to prepare for a wheelchair marathon, Bleakney suggested they focus first on stamina.
“This is achieved by long, steady-pace training sessions that primarily tax the aerobic energy system. These sessions will improve economy and stroke efficiency.”
His second suggestion for wheeling a marathon was to train for multiple pace and effort changes, with routines such as “pushing yourself above your lactate threshold climbing a hill and then resting on the descent. Fartlek, or a workout of informal pace changes, best addresses this demand, as does structured interval training.”
Bleakney said that at this level, diet wouldn’t need to be modified beyond what is generally recommended, although athletes should keep in mind the importance of keeping their energy levels up.
What needs to be done as the marathon approaches?
“I like to have all controllable variables squared up the night before,” he said. “Examples are having a spare tire attached to the racer, making sure the water bottle is working correctly, or taping race numbers on.”
As for the morning of the race, Bleakney suggests giving yourself extra time.
“Say I get down to the hotel lobby and discover I’ve forgotten my gloves in the room – I want enough time to avoid stress or, worse, missing the race start. Breakfast should be whatever you can tolerate and definitely a food you’re used to eating, even if it isn’t condoned by a nutritionist.”
Bleakney has four key pieces of advice for during the marathon: “Carry a sports drink with you – PowerAde, Gatorade, etc., make sure your brakes work, glue your tires on, and use common sense.”
Physiologically, training for a marathon is similar to training for the Paralympics track and field, but that’s where the similarities end.
“There are different needs for the road than there are for the track, mostly within the skill side. So, for example, being able to burrow into a tight gliding position on descents is a needed skill for the road, but it’s of little need on the track,” explained Bleakney, who won silver in the 2004 Paralympics.
“On the track, reaction time and chair control are in far greater demand than on the road,” he said, adding that it should come as no surprise that sharpening for the track is also different than sharpening for the road.
Currently, he’s training for the 2008 Paralympics to be held in Beijing, China.
“My training regimen is built around a six-day a week cycle, and has been for the past 11 years. The weekly focus changes according to the time of year and the specific competition schedule,” he said.
Keep the training as simple and specific as possible to the event – that’s Bleakney’s main principle. Not only has this advice proven successful in his racing career, but he’s also seen its effectiveness for his students.
If you feel the desire to race, put Adam Bleakney’s advice to the test and recognize all that you’re truly able to achieve. Perhaps the crowd on the horizon is waiting for you, and the flag in the distance is the finish line.
Lindsay Tresemer is a writer based in Milwaukee, Wis. |
