01:00:00.208,01:00:05.125
DICK TRAUM: What running does, is it introduces people to
achievement.
01:00:19.375,01:00:24.542
[TEXT: Sports in America, “Playing it Forward”]
01:00:24.542,01:00:32.417
I ran the marathon on an artificial leg in 1976 and I
continued to run and I kept coming in last.
01:00:32.417,01:00:38.083
[TEXT: Dick Traum, Founder and President, Achilles International]
And I figured if we could share this sport with others, at least I
wouldn’t come in last anyway.
01:00:38.083,01:00:42.375
We had six people do the New York City Marathon, including myself,
and that was fantastic.
01:00:42.375,01:00:45.625
Whoever heard of six people with disabilities running a marathon?
01:00:45.625,01:00:52.333
A reporter from Poland did a story on us, and then this generated a
wonderful club in Poland.
01:00:52.333,01:01:00.375
We went into Russia, and then we went into Mongolia and
Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria and it just spread.
01:01:00.375,01:01:05.917
We had an opportunity to set up a chapter in Grozny,
which is part of Chechnya.
01:01:05.917,01:01:11.125
The following year we have three members come here and they run
our Hope and Possibility 5-Miler.
01:01:11.125,01:01:18.458
They are astonished by how comfortable the people are with those
with disabilities.
01:01:18.458,01:01:24.042
They’re in short pants, there’s no artificial leg, nobody even
notices and they just really really feel good about it.
01:01:24.042,01:01:30.417
People who run the marathon the first time will come back days
later, weeks, years later,
01:01:30.417,01:01:33.417
and say, “You know, that was a favorite day of my life.”
01:01:33.417,01:01:37.125
We’re giving people in these different countries hope.
01:01:37.125,01:01:40.292
You know, we’re giving them something to look forward to.
[TEXT: Every Play Matters
Share Your Sport at
www.facebook.com/ejournalUSA
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