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The Achilles Track Club has set up a running program at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center for disabled Iraqi war veterans most of whom are amputees. With the support of Achilles coaches and volunteers, veterans learn to walk, to jog, and to run. Their rehabilitation is enhanced through physical activity, goal setting, and personal achievement.
Achilles is a not-for-profit organization designated 501(c) 3, which provides an opportunity for disabled members to participate in mainstream distance running. It provides people with an opportunity to achieve and consequently build confidence and self-esteem.
Since its inception, Achilles has expanded to over three thousand members in the New York City metropolitan area, as well as others in forty-six cities across the United States and over sixty foreign countries. Achilles runners use crutches, braces, artificial limbs, and wheelchairs or run without aids. Some are experienced athletes, while others are exercising for the first time. Members report that running enhances their health and, under certain conditions, slows or reverses degenerative aspects of some disabilities.
