Frequently Asked Questions

Membership in Achilles International is free of charge.

Camaraderie, fun, achievement, and the tremendous confidence boost that comes when you do something you didn't think you could do!

When you are a member in good standing, we can almost guarantee you entry into the New York City Marathon, and depending on sponsorship availability, may be able to facilitate participation in other races we do as a group. With regard to NYC Marathon, we also negotiate room rates with an area hotel and can pass the savings on to our athletes

Please complete our online application.

If you have a disabling condition, the answer is yes! The first step is to complete the Athlete Intake form. You will receive an email confirming receipt of submission. Then, send an email to info@achillesinternational.org describing your goals and anything else we may need to know about you. We will invite you to a monthly Zoom meeting with other members of Achilles. Active Achilles Athletes with Disabilities can raise funds for Achilles International to help them reach their goals.

Quite simply, they are coming together to run. Achilles pairs runners who do not have disabilities with athletes with disabilities (AWD) and together they run. Eventually, we enter races together.

Complete a volunteer membership form found in the JOIN US section of the website.

Please look at the U.S. Chapters page which is alphabetized by state or the International Chapters page which is alphabetized by country.

You might consider signing on with UnitedinStride.com — a site that will match sighted runners with runners who have visual impairment.

We have a variety of programs that need funding: Achilles Kids, Achilles Freedom Team, TriAchilles, and all of our chapters always need funds for race entry fees, travel expenses, running gear, and equipment. When you donate online, you can specify what you would like your donation to go , including towards general operations.

Sign up for our Newsletter, join your local chapter, set up a fundraiser on Facebook, or you can set up a fundraising campaign. You can also run as a charity entrant & obtain a bib to popular running events in return for minimum fundraising.

Make sure to add text and photos to your page and be sure to send your personalized link to your friend, family and social media network to garner donations. All donations are tax deductible and directly benefit Achilles. If requested, Achilles will supply letters of acknowledgement that your supporters can use for tax purposes.

While that is very kind of you, we prefer it to be the other way around. We would like to pay for the AWDs entry fees and make sure their names are in the results, they receive the t-shirt and medal and any of the other goodies provided to a registered runner. As for the guides, they do not get the benefits of full registration. Their names are not in the race results, nor are they entitled to the t-shirts and other goodies given registered runners. However, if you need Achilles guides to sign a waiver, they will do so.

That depends on the AWD and the distance to cover. Let's take a blind runner who is going for a 3.5 hour marathon -- Achilles recommends 3 guides -- one on each side and one out in front clearing the way with his or her voice. If the blind runner was a 6-hour marathoner, we would still recommend three guides, only the third guide would run in back protecting the tether from runners who may not see it. A blind runner should have a minimum of two guides on a marathon course simultaneously to guarantee a good race experience for all. Basically, we would appreciate it if you would rely on our chapter leaders for their advice. They are familiar with each athlete's needs and will make arrangements for the best outcome.