A terrible experience can bring about a positive outcome. Such is the case of “Central Park Jogger,” Trisha Meili who was assaulted while jogging through Central Park in 1989. “I couldn’t walk, I had trouble talking, I couldn’t even feed myself, so I had to learn to do all those things again.”
While recovering, she met and ran with members of Achilles International, a track organization that makes it possible for people with disabilities to race. The Achilles athletes inspired her to stay active. Because she viewed her recovery as a gift and was grateful to Achilles, she decided to volunteer with the organization.
In 2003, Meili helped launch the annual Achilles Hope & Possibility Race, held in Central Park. This year’s race had the highest number of entrants – more than 6,000 participants with and without disabilities. Hand Cycles Puspa Poarangan, born in Indonesia, who now lives in Harlem, N.Y., was the first female finisher in the hand cycling division. Her finishing time was 28 minutes, 36 seconds. “I was not expecting to win,” said the 43-year-old Poarangan. “I stopped in the middle of the race to help someone.”
She got help for another hand cyclist’s whose bike chain was disconnected from his bike. Last year, her life improved after she learned about Achilles International. “When they had me use a hand cycle for the first time, I never before felt so free,” said Poarangan. “It was fantastic.”
Learning about Achilles and using hand cycles was also a freeing experience for this year’s first male finisher in the hand cycling division, Andrew Hairston a former Marine Corps Captain who had his leg amputated due to an automobile accident after returning from active duty in Africa. The 30-year-old Hairston of Jacksonville, N.C. won with a 13:05 clocking.
In 2022, he finished second, 13:34 and in 2021, when he competed in this race for the first time, he finished third, 20:48. While recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Virginia, he learned about Achilles. Hairston said that when Achilles members showed him how to hand cycle, it was the first time since his amputation where he felt like his old self again.
Push Rim In the push rim wheelchair division, Elyse Levine, 32, of Far Rockaway, N.Y. finished first with a 21:14 clocking. The first male finisher in that category was Neider Israel Parra Contreras, 25, of Bogota, Colombia who clocked 32:52. In the ambulatory Athletes With Disabilities division, Tess Levinson, 27, of Boston Mass. finished first, posting 36:07. The first male finisher was Edilson Zacipa, 44, of the Bronx, N.Y. whose finishing time was 27:28.
This is a category for athletes who can walk but have mental or physical disabilities. In the mobility impaired division, Tiffanie Johnson, 29, of Rockville, Md. was the first woman finisher, 50:59. The first male finisher in this category was Jeremy Young, 51, of New York City who clocked 48:37.
A mobility impairment is a disability that affects movement ranging from gross motor skills, such as walking, to fine motor movement, involving manipulation of objects by hand. Visually Impaired In the visually impaired division, Alison Lync, 35, of New York Harbor, N.Y. finished first, 34:18. The first male finisher in that division was Michael Zampella, 48, of Blue Bell, Pa who posted 33:34. Lower Limb Deficiency In the lower limb deficiency category, Jenny Marcela, Carreno, Espinel, 31, of Bogota, Colombia finished first, 41:24.
The first male finisher in this category was Rubiel Roddriguez, 39, of Bogota, Colombia who clocked 28:39. People with lower limb deficiencies live with the absence or severe hypoplasia of a limb or part of a limb. Achilles International, now in its 40th year, currently has 28 chapters in 19 states and 34 chapters in 17 countries, according to www.achillesinternational.org