NYC Mayor Eric Adams Kicks Off 20th Achilles Hope & Possibility Race to Largest Field Yet
The 20th Achilles Hope & Possibility® 4M Presented by TD Bank and operated by New York Road Runners (NYRR) on June 26, 2022 was the largest field yet with 6,750 finishers and over 8,600 total registrants.
For the first time in the race’s history, the Mayor of New York City attended. Mayor Eric Adams welcomed racers at the start line and provided a proclamation declaring June 26 as Achilles International Day. The start line ceremony also featured inspiring words by comedian Jon Stewart and Trisha Meili, founding board chair of Achilles International. Her best-selling memoir, I Am The Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope & Possibility, was the inspiration for the race. Talented vocalists from the Filomen M D’Agostino Greenberg Music School choir, which is committed to helping people pursue their study of music while addressing the challenges posed by vision loss, sang the National Anthem.
According to Achilles NYC handcyclist Ricardo Corral, the Hope & Possibility® race is special because it feels "like a family. We all start together. Kids, blind people, amputees, handcyclists, runners. It's not just a race. It's a party for us."
He has completed the race every single year, from its early beginnings as a 5-mile race in 2003 to a virtual 10-mile version in his home during 2020. This year was extra special as he came in first place in the men’s handcycle division.
Top finishers with disabilities were celebrated during the post-race award ceremony in the Naumburg Bandshell with awards presented by NYRR, Achilles CEO Emily Glasser, TD Bank leadership and Former Governor of New York and Achilles International Board Co-Chair David Paterson.
The post-race festival also featured music by 14-year-old DJ, host and humanitarian DJ Sophia Rocks. Former NBA player Theo Ratliff ran as a guide with Achilles Kids member and NBA superfan Olivia. For the first time, all finishers received a special edition accessible medal featuring the word “finisher” in braille and adaptive athletes crossing a finish line. In addition to our NYC chapter, Achilles members from Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, Houston and Washington D.C. participated!
The weekend began with a special Emerald Reception hosted by TD Bank at its One Vanderbilt location commemorating the race’s 20th year milestone. They also premiered a special video interview with Earl Granville of the Achilles Freedom Team sharing special memories of his first time participating in Hope & Possibility. The GM Military Appreciation program also hosted veterans of the Achilles Freedom Team and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a pre-race dinner. Symbolic of a military tradition, each veteran received a special challenge coin. For some, Sunday was their first race since receiving care for various injuries including those suffered in combat, military training, accident and illness.
232 Members Race Virtual Achilles Hope & Possibility and Raise $9.1K
While racers celebrated the 20th anniversary in New York, Achilles community members around the world logged miles virtually. The Virtual Achilles Hope & Possibility® Presented By TD Bank raised over $9,100 to benefit our mission with 232 members and supporters participating. Several chapters joined the fun sending in videos and logging miles together including: Boston, Canada, Chicago, Colombia, Connecticut, Houston, Mexico, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Peru, United Kingdom and Washington D.C. Team Achilles USA members who live around the country in cities not near a chapter joined the fun as well!
Achilles Houston had the largest team participate together with 27 runners, walkers, rollers, veterans from the Achilles Freedom Team and Achilles Kids completing a four mile route in Memorial Park.
Photo Credits: Victor Mirontschuk; Cheer Everywhere