Central Park will welcome back the 17th Annual Achilles Hope & Possibility 4-mile road race by TD Bank on Sunday.
The Achilles Hope & Possibility 4-mile road race kicks off at 8:30 a.m., and was inspired by “The New York Times” bestselling memoir; “I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope & Possibility,” written by Trisha Meilli.
The race allows runners of all abilities to participate, and is one of the largest in the world to support people with disabilities. More than 7,500 people are expected to participate.
Wounded veterans, Paralympians, and children with disabilities are among those to participate.
Metro spoke with Dick Traum, an amputee and the founder and President of Achilles International who gained recognition as being the first man to complete the New York Marathon with a prosthetic leg. Traum was inspired to create Achilles to help normalize and destigmatize disabled runners.
Although the race has been around for 17 years, the Achilles International organization dates back to the 1980s, and since its creation, it has continued to grow worldwide.
TD Bank is the official sponsor of race. Metro spoke with Traum about the partnership, saying both groups have similar missions of “supporting the underdog.”
“The opportunity to sponsor the Achilles Hope and Possibility Race was a natural extension of our shared purpose,” said TD Bank Regional President Andrew Bregenzer. “We couldn’t be more proud of this partnership and what it means to New York City and to runners from around the world…”
For Traum, one goal of the race is to promote a connection between able-bodied people, and people with disabilities.
Bregenzer echoed Traum, saying “It’s about supporting people of all abilities to achieve their full potential and ensuring that everyone has equal opportunity.” He added, “It’s not just about the dollars invested into community initiatives. What we stand for and how we show up matters.”
