Achilles Marathon - April 1, 2001 - Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York
Nearly two thousand disabled athletes ran, walked, rolled and relayed today during the first annual Achilles Marathon, held in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. The 26.2-mile race, presented by The Achilles Track Club, was the first to be hosted by the disabled community: a fact that was noted with much pride by many participants.

The Achilles Marathon also served as a fundraising event for local and national non-profits, as each marathoner, and marathon team, raised money for their choice of a worthy organization. Achilles is partnered with The United Way, and 100% of the proceeds went to those non-profits. Monies raised will be tallied this week. The international event boasted teams from Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Germany, Jamaica, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Trinidad, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. Founding sponsors of the race are Cushman & Wakefield, The United Way, and Continuum Health Partners.

Prizes were given out for first and second places in various divisions, with an emphasis on those with disabilities. Runners won $1000 cash for first, or Continental airline tickets for second, place finish. The winners included:
Open Division, Men - 1st: Will Varley, from Wainscott, NY in 3:09:38; 2nd: Frank DeLeo, from Brooklyn in 3:21:38 Open Division, Women - 1st: Ruth Fairbrother, from Staten Island in 4:22:42; 2nd: Ronnie Behringer, from Norwalk, CT in 4:31:27 Ambulatory Disabled, Men - 1st: Thomas Cobb, from NYC in 3:18:42; 2nd: Paolo De Almeida, from Brazil in 3:52:27 Ambulatory Disabled, Women - 1st: Cheryl Bentley, from Brooklyn in 5:52:35; 2nd: Evelyn Gonzales, from NYC in 7:41:20 Visually Disabled, Men - 1st: Hakan Durantes, from Brooklyn, in 3:55:49; 2nd: C. Frederick Minor, from Brooklyn in 4:42:43 Visually Disabled, Women - 1st: Elizabeth Hurdman, from Canada in 4:34:43; 2nd: Staron Stanislaw, from Poland in 5:04:30 Push Rim Wheelchair, Men - 1st: Wilson De La Cruz, from Ecuador, in 2:14:16; 2nd: Angel Quevedo, from Ecuador, in 2:18: 28 Push Rim Wheelchair, Women - 1st: Thi Xuan Anh, Nguyen, from Vietnam, in 3:31:39; 2nd: Jolana Skalova, from Slovakia, in 6:59:22 Hand-crank Wheelchair, Men - 1st: Joseph Dowling, from Old Greenwich, CT, in 1:56:15; 2nd: Ronnie Pulliam, from Philadelphia, in 1:56:20 Hand-crank Wheelchair, Women - 1st: Helene Hines, from Long Island, in 2:02:26; 2nd: Graciela Ramirez, from Roosevelt Island, in 4:25:03	Overall Winner Will Varley
Hand-Crank Wheelchair winner, Helene Hines with Marathon Man, Jerry Dunn	Ambulatory Disabled Winner, Thomas Cobb
More Images from the Achilles Marathon: