“myTeam Triumph is an athletic program where we give people an opportunity to participate in a race who normally could not. We assist the captains, the people with a physical or mental disability, get to the finish line by pushing them in one of our chariots. The athletes who assist them are called angels, but the entire race experience is about the captain. The race is not about the angels: not about them making the finish line or their finish time. They don't get a medal or recognition. It's all about the captain, their experience and making it the best day possible for them. The captain always crosses the finish line first. It's a great way to bring inclusion to our area, especially during an event like the St. Patrick's Day Races.
There’re so many opportunities to help: if you are an athlete or runner, to be an angel or to volunteer helping with registration, refreshments and other things that go on behind the scenes.
It's a joy and it's a great way to give back. It just fills your heart. I can't explain it. I really hope if people see this and don't know what we're about, come out and cheer for us on the sideline. It's life changing. I get it—being a runner myself, that there are times when you are competitive and you want your best time and or beat your time last year, but this isn't the race for that—it’s an opportunity to give back.
It all centers around inclusion, and I tell people that if you have the opportunity to do it, it's a life changing experience.”
