It is early Friday afternoon, November 2nd, and I am leaving the Achilles office knowing it will be the busiest weekend of the year. My desk is relatively clean and ready for the surge of marathoners who will come by on Monday to say hello and discuss the weekend's New York City Marathon. I make some notes outlining my meetings for the weekend and take off for my first event, the annual get-together of our international chapter leaders. 

The meeting is progressing as expected when someone interrupts and exclaims that the New York City Marathon has been cancelled. Is it a joke? It seems impossible. Then a second, and a third, person reiterates that, yes, the New York City Marathon has been cancelled. 
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Fifth Avenue Mile

Congratulations to the following athletes who participated in this fast paced race along prestigious Fifth Avenue: Cathy Beaudoin: 9:51; Ricardo Corral Hand-cyclist: 2:53; Crista Earl: 11:51; Sarah Heller: 9:49; Jose Montanez: 9:07; Kareem Nisbett: 7:53; John Pierre: 7:34; Carmelo Puccia: 10:13; Irwin Ramirez: 8:12; Evelyn Rodriguez: 11:55; Ben Simmons: 7:42; Leol Williams: 8:24; Keith Wright: 7:54.

Thank you to NY Medical College physical therapy students for hosting yet another successful race featuring Achilles athletes and their guides. This year over two dozen Achilles members drove to the beautiful grounds of this Valhalla school where they were treated like VIPs for the day by students and staff alike. Read more .... 

Six U.S. chapters launched in 2012, Houston and Pittsburgh launched this year, and three additional charters were recently signed. It is a pleasure to have chapter leadership in so many U.S. cities and states! The synergy among chapters was most evident at the January Disney Marathon weekend when Cigna sponsored Achilles athletes from key markets. 

Representing U.S. chapters were: Erin Spaulding from Connecticut; Brooke Voss from Greater Phoenix; Theresa Khayyam from Nashville; Fiona McKinney from New York; Francine Prescott from South Florida; David Finland from Metro DC; plus Bruce Linsky and Kinzey Lynch from Philadelphia. Read more ....

It's been a very busy year for our Achilles Kids school program. We have welcomed several more chapters to the fold - two new programs in Roanoke, Virginia and outposts in Mantua, New Jersey and Phoenix, Arizona. There are also new chapters blooming in NYC and so as we get closer and closer to spring, Achilles Kids continues to blossom! 

Not only are the number of chapters growing, but the number of miles our students are racking up is soaring. Since the addition of new intermediate goals (and awards!) to our program this year, we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of miles and in how quickly the members are reaching those levels. Read more .....