GM to Host 25 Veterans with Disabilities at the 2022 Detroit Free Press Marathon
The Achilles Freedom Team will once again compete in the Detroit Free Press Marathon and International Half Marathon thanks to the continued generosity and support of the GM Military Appreciation Program and Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers (MDCD).
From protecting and serving on the frontlines, to now racing across the start line, 25 wounded veterans will have the opportunity to participate in various celebrations of marathon weekend. GM and the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers have been supporting the Achilles Freedom Team since 2010. This will be the 11th Detroit Marathon together.
“It is such an honor to give back to the men and women who sacrificed so much for us,” said John Fox, President of MDCD. “We just wrapped up our Haulin’ for Heroes donation drive to support local hospitalized veterans, and now we are thrilled to roll out the red carpet for the Achilles Freedom Team. We look forward to this weekend all year, and we do everything possible to make their visit to Detroit an extraordinary one.”
"Racing with Achilles really showed me that despite my injuries, anything is possible if I work hard and believe that I can do it. I feel very grateful for the Achilles Freedom Team for giving me back a piece of myself that I thought I had lost," says Andrew Hairston, United States Marine Corps Captain, from the Virgin Islands. This will be Andrew's first Detroit Marathon.
The Detroit courses are extra special for our athletes as all racing wheelchair and handcycle athletes are matched with an upright bicyclist to guide them through the course and ensure their safety along the route. The courses are also unique in that they start in Detroit, go into Canada, and finish back in the U.S.
Among the veterans participating in the festivities is Keith Murphy, a United States Army veteran from Texas. This will be Keith’s first race with Achilles, and he could not be more excited to have found an organization where he feels like he belongs.
“After my accident, I didn’t want to let my injuries hold me back. I knew that I needed to take my recovery into my own hands and surround myself with people who would understand what I had gone through,” Keith says. “That's one of the reasons why I’m so excited to be racing with the Achilles Freedom Team and to be able to meet and race with so many new athletes like me.”
The weekend will begin with a welcome dinner for the athletes at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit, where athletes and their families will be able to connect with one another. The athletes will also be treated to a pre-race dinner and a private tour of Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions.
“It is so heartwarming to know that there are people out there that are so willing to help make all of this happen for us,” says Andrew on the role of Achilles sponsors. “I tell Marines all the time that don’t know how to get active again, that if there is an opportunity to try something you haven't done before, give it a try. I always played sports growing up like football and basketball, so if someone told me then that I’d one day become a cyclist, I probably would have laughed. But now it's such a great passion of mine, all because I was given the opportunity to try something new.”
From the second the athletes land at the airport on Friday up until they unload their equipment inside the baggage terminal when they depart on Monday, GM Military Appreciation Program, Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers and Jack Morton staff show their gratitude for our veterans’ service and ensure the Achilles Freedom Team is welcomed and cared for throughout. Lifelong bonds are made year after year.
After the weekend, the Freedom Team will already gear up once again for the 2022 Marine Corps Marathon on October 30 as part of their annual fall marathon tour.
Photo Credit: Andrew Potter Photo, GM Military Appreciation Program
