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Show of Strength
As the athletes approached the starting line, a lot more was on their minds than winning a race.
View ForumThe recent Memorial Day signified something beyond the traditional observance—it was the tenth anniversary of the wheelchair division's being part of the Fred d'Elia Ridgewood Run in Ridgewood, N.J., as well as the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Run.
The Ridgewood Run was the first race in New Jersey to have a wheelchair event at the same time and on the same path as the runners. The able-bodied athletes lined up behind the wheelers and started a few minutes after them. The wheelchair race has a male and female category in each of the following divisions: Open, Quad, Masters (40 and older), Grandmasters (50 and over), athletes 19-21, and Juniors under 19.
Inclusion of the wheelchair division was made possible through sponsorship by Kessler Foundation and the dedication of Angela Smith, now research coordinator at Kessler Foundation's Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Laboratory (West Orange, N.J.). While she was working at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation as a coordinator in the fitness gym in 1999, two men with spinal-cord injuries expressed their interest in wheelchair racing and said they were looking for a sponsor. She suggested Kessler Foundation.
Kessler Foundation President/Chief Executive Officer Rodger DeRose said, "We know how important this race is, and we anticipate Kessler Foundation continuing to offer support for the race and all the amazing athletes."
With experience as an adaptive fitness instructor as well as a wheelchair-racing trainer, Smith became the first coach of the WheelBlazers, a New Jersey-based racing squad. This expanded into her team, as well as other athletes, being a part of the Ridgewood Run—the wheelchair division now called the Kessler Foundation 10k.
Bridgette Wise, 14, was the only Junior female participant. She completed the 10k in 40:44.
Spanish Style
Initially registration for the 10k was slow, but it quickly expanded to bring in wheelchair athletes from all over the country. This year's race attracted its first international athlete, Santiago Sanz, from Spain. Sanz, 29, was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease—which takes away muscle matter and some sensation—when he was 18 months old. Smith contacted Sanz and asked him to participate in the race. He decided to come to the U.S. for six weeks to compete in some of the country's top events.
Sanz trains six days a week, three times a day. Where does he get the motivation? "It's nice when your job is your hobby," he says, with a smile on his face.
He has a degree in sports science, and his job as a researcher of high altitude in sports requires him to travel around the world, providing insights into how to improve the movement of athletes to lessen the stress on their bodies.
Traveling around the world with a wife and two babies at home is no easy task, but Sanz loves what he does. His hard work pays off as he's been a Paralympian and is one of the world's top quad racers.
Sanz not only won the Kessler male Quad Division but also crushed the record held for five years by nearly three minutes. As he crossed the finish line, he appeared to give the crowd the "thumbs up" sign.
Through scientific engineering, Sanz is improving the lives of people with disabilities. Through his racing, he is showing the rest of the world the capabilities of people with disabilities.
Nine Out of Ten
Another person showing her amazing athletic talent in New Jersey was 26-year-old Jessica Galli. After a car accident left her with a spinal-cord injury at age 7, she started racing as a form of rehab, and stuck with it. Not only did she participate but she also excelled. And when she got a taste of winning, her determination advanced even more.
"I really enjoy [racing], having fun, and staying fit, but I had a little taste of success so I'm chasing that and trying to see it again," says Galli, with a laugh.
Galli has been to three Paralympic Games—Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), and Beijing (2008). She's won six medals and holds the world record in the 400 and 800 meters. She has won the Kessler Foundation 10k nine times, with her latest victory coming this year. Nine titles in the race's ten-year history is not an easy task, but Galli enjoys every minute of racing.
"When you have a disability, you're looked at a certain way, especially with a physical disability where people can see it," says Galli. "I found that sports have been a way for me to relate to people."
When people see her in her racing chair, they stop to talk to her about it, which takes the attention away from her disability.
Her father, Phil, is at her side, and it's obvious he is proud of her accomplishments.
"It is through wheelchair track and road racing that she has accomplished so much," he says. "And it is because of road and track athletics that I try to give back as much as I can so every disabled athlete has a place to compete up to their abilities."
Galli received a master's degree in community health from the University of Illinois. During her time as an undergrad and graduate student, she was a member of the wheelchair-racing team. She now works for the university and continues to train with the team six days a week, once or twice a day. Her hope for the future is to help people with disabilities.
Flying Like a Bird
Jordan Bird, 21, from the University of Arizona (Tucson), attributes much of his athletic success to his mother. Injured as the result of a drunk driver at age 2, Bird was paralyzed from the waist down. But his mom was determined he would have a normal childhood. She signed him up for wheelchair track when he was 5, and he never looked back. As a computer science major at the University of Arizona, Bird manages to maintain a rigorous training schedule of at least five days a week. Every morning he completes half a marathon with his training partner.
Bird's mom has always supported him, taking him from race to race. While he loves the sport, he wanted to show her that all their hard work was worth it.
"She's been there, giving it everything, and I feel I owe it to her to at least repay her and do my best," says Bird.
As Bird raced across the finish line at the Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10k, appearing like a blur to the onlookers, his mom had a lot to be proud of. Bird won the Men's Open and is considered one of the fastest racers in the U.S.
While some race for their parents, others, like Tony Noguiera, compete for their children. He injured his spinal cord when he fell from a tree at age 19. Realizing the importance of funneling his energy into an enjoyable activity, he found wheelchair racing.
Prior to his injury Noguiera played soccer and loved to run.
"In my teenage years, I was very competitive," he says. "When I became a paraplegic, it didn't change me. I was the same person. It didn't change my core values of being an athlete. I took being in a wheelchair as a challenge, and I had to make something positive out of it."
He displayed his commitment to athletic excellence in the Barcelona, Spain (1992) and Atlanta Paralympics (1996).
Due to a shoulder injury, Noguiera was unable to officially compete in this year's 10k but still participated—using it as a training exercise—in order to support his fellow athletes. Despite his injury, Noguiera was the third athlete to finish in the Master's Division.
Noguiera, 42, who lives in New Jersey, trains six days a week while also being a dedicated art teacher. His two young sons keep him determined and focused.
"I use racing to motivate my children to play sports and keep an active and healthy lifestyle," says Noguiera.
His kids often train with him, and he teaches them a passion for sports. His lessons seem to be working, as they show a deep interest in soccer and cycling. Sports participation helped him prove that although he's in a wheelchair, he can still do the same things as people who can walk, just in a different way.
Overcoming Challenges
If anyone learned how to adapt to a new life after adversity, it's David Lowell. On the way to the airport in 1998, the limo driver fell asleep at the wheel and the vehicle went off a bridge. The driver and other passenger were killed instantly. Lowell was paralyzed from the waist down.
"People ask me how long it took me to get over depression, and I really never went through it," says Lowell. "I'm just me and always thinking positive."
Before the accident he was a triathlete and avid marathon runner. In fact, just before the accident he was training for the Ironman in Hawaii. After the injury he had to figure out a way to adapt the things he loved to be able to do them from a wheelchair.
"I'm fortunate I was injured later in life. I already had my education. I already had my fitness regime. So it was easy to fall back on things," Lowell says.
Before his injury, as a U.S. Marine he ran in the Marine Corps Marathon. He is reportedly the first person to participate as a runner and then wheelchair athlete when he returned to that event. He won the wheelchair race. He also launched an international business where he is director of engineering.
After approaching Smith to express his desire to participate in wheelchair racing, he was the first to join the WheelBlazers. More than ten years later, Lowell, now 58 and from New Jersey, is still a member of the team. In the 10k this year, he took first place in the Grandmasters Division.
Wheelchair athletes exemplify that, despite obstacles, anything is possible.
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