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Achilles NYC

@achillesnyc

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Achilles NYC is a chapter of @achilles_international - a nonprofit that supports athletes with disabilities in mainstream athletics. 🏊‍♂️ 🚴 🏃 🏅

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Dom was a great guy. I would come out and take pictures of the Achilies team and help him unload the trailer. I just spoke with him 2 months ago about my uncle who recently had an amputation. I was looking forward to my uncle meeting Dom. He will be missed.

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It is with profound sadness that Achilles International mourns the passing of our dear friend and treasured colleague, Domenic Romano. Known affectionately as Dom, he embodied the spirit of Achilles through his unwavering dedication, generosity and the joy he brought to everyone around him.

Dom brought countless athletes with disabilities to the start line, sharing with them the gift of a community that had transformed his own life. Whether helping someone take their first spin or reach a new milestone, he made every athlete feel unstoppable and every teammate feel special.

Thank you, Dom, for the laughter, friendship and countless lives you touched. You gave so much of yourself to keep others moving forward. Your impact will be felt for miles to come.

The funeral will be held Wednesday, October 28, at 10:00 AM at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (631 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022). View the full tribute at link in bio and check back for details on how to view the service virtually as well as access grief counseling resources.

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What a special evening with our @achilles_international family! A packed room of Achilles athletes & guides came together for a screening of “FINAL FINISHERS”the award-winning sports documentary short produced by @nyrr. It was heartwarming to see our community show up to celebrate Achilles athletes @hannahgavios and Michael Ring (@chickenunderwear) with Janelle- @janhart26 who are featured in the film.
This beautiful documentary celebrates the grit, determination, and perseverance of the final finishers of the @nycmarathon.
Following the screening, Hannah, Michael, and Janelle shared more of their personal stories during a wonderful Q&A. The evening continued with pizza and great conversation!
A tremendous thank you to our amazing volunteers who helped make it all possible! 💛
You can watch this amazing film- Final Finishers on Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+

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Moments from the Chicago 5k 2026. It was a great weekend in Chicago seeing so many runners. @bronxburnersrc @thegoodworkgang @achilles_international @achillesnyc @achilleschicago @achillesboston @achilleslongisland @achillesnj @achillesqueens @achillesfreedomteam People who have raced with brands like @adidasrunning @newbalancerunning @pumarunning and with the race soansor that is @nikerunning People from many countries have run: EEUU, China, Spain, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ecuador, England, Wales, ... And we can’t forget the brands that have been collaborating @abbottglobal @wmmajors @pedialyte @nike @maurten_official @chiquitabanana @heyculligan … #photography @chimarathon #chicago #chicagomarathon #runner #runnercommunity @jeff.sev @megantakacs @gozdemrtz15

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Meet Francesco Magisano, 31, the NYC Director of Achilles International, where he organizes workouts and events for people with all kinds of disabilities.
He tumbled onto Achiiles by chance in 2017 and found a community that changed the course of his life. Since then, he’s run 20+ marathons and competed in 20+ triathlons. He also plays bass guitar, because apparently endurance athlete wasn’t enough of a flex.
Francesco grew up with low vision and lost his sight completely to retinoblastoma during his freshman year of high school. He’s totally blind. Back then, he had no idea sports could be accessible to people like him, which is why he’s so passionate about getting blind people active sooner and younger.

Francesco says, “I was really resistant at first to pick up a white cane. I’d try to get around without it, and it wasn’t safe. Embracing the cane took accepting who I was and what I needed. I talk about this in my public speaking - how you visualize and frame yourself now and who you want to become. Once I could see myself as confident and cool with my cane, it became part of me. I’ve taken my cane around the world, climbing mountains and crossing rivers. Those experiences say it all. It’s helped me get out there and live the life I want.”

The cane is also his secret weapon for meeting people, “it’s also a conversation starter. Something I used to feel self-conscious about has become a way to connect with people and talk about confidence and accepting yourself.” Francesco running with his guide, Nev Schulman.

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🚨 IMPORTANT ENABLED 5K UPDATE 🚨

With the safety of our community as our highest priority, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2nd Annual ENABLED 5K Festival Experience scheduled for this Sunday, October 11.

With a 95% chance of rain, moving forward could create unsafe conditions especially for our participants with disabilities, wheelchair users, amputees, seniors, and families.

This is a postponement, not a cancellation. All registrations will remain valid for the new date. We are currently working with NYC Parks and will share the rescheduled date as soon as it is confirmed.

We know how much excitement, preparation, and support went into this experience, and this decision was not made lightly. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support.

We will Walk • Run • Roll together soon. 💙♿️

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Scenes from the #nyrrjerseycity5k via @ty_hates_the_800m!

Congrats everyone!

DM for photo link.

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#HowsYourHeart #MoreTheARunClub #BeyondRaceDay @nyrr #nyrr

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CHICAGO MARATHON 📢: LAST CHANCE to support @achilles_international which is the best organization helping blind and disabled athletes!! Link is in my bio to donate the fundraiser!

Plus all new users to @mattr.coach will continue to have their first month put toward the fundraising efforts so if you would like your own personal run coach to crush your race, check it out at the link in my bio!

ONE WEEK until the Chicago Marathon, have learned so much during this training block and incredibly grateful for the support so far. Excited to share all the learnings and updates we’ve made to make mattr helpful for all runners.

Let’s see what we can do over this next week to continue to help Achilles, and looking forward to celebrating with the race next week. 💛

Appreciate everyone following along and supporting.

#goachilles #chicagomarathon

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🇺🇸Today we joined the NYC Terry Fox Run 2026 in Central Park! 🏃‍♂️🗽 A 5K route bringing people together to raise cancer research funds in honor of the legendary Marathon of Hope. So proud to log these miles alongside the Achilles Kids crew on a morning packed with inclusion, pure energy, and purpose. 💙✨

🇻🇪Hoy nos sumamos al Terry Fox Run NYC 2026 en Central Park 🏃‍♂️🗽 Una ruta de 5K que une al mundo para recaudar fondos contra el cáncer en honor al legendario Marathon of Hope. Felices de sumar pasos junto a la comunidad de Achilles Kids en una mañana llena de inclusión, energía y propósito. 💙✨

#terryfox #5k #achillesinternational #athlete #kidsrun

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The week in review…I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I want to show up, for myself and for others. How can I keep growing, day by day, to give back and be more present in my community? And how is what I’m doing shaping the lives of the people around me? None of us is perfect, but each of us has a part to play.

This past week, I was honoured to host my friends Melissa and Fern at our home in London before the Berlin Marathon. We laughed, we cooked, we swapped stories, and we shared a beautiful afternoon tea at The Goring before heading off to race.

In Berlin, Melissa completed her sixth Abbott World Marathon Major and earned her Six-Star medal. We believe she’s the first blind female athlete to do so. When she asked me to guide her months ago, I understood what that meant: not just the role of guide, but the responsibility of getting her safely to the finish of one of the most important races of her life.

Melissa has had a big year, and this achievement was more than a decade in the making. Race day was warm and sunny. With an incredible co-guide beside me (Tobi!), we celebrated all 26.2 miles, though there were moments when each of us had to dig deep to reach that finish line. I’m so proud of my friend. She is a true inspiration.

Congratulations, too, to every runner who crossed the line in Berlin, and especially to our fellow Achilles athletes and the Wounded Warrior athletes who took on the course with such grit and grace. Your courage, and the guides and teammates who ran alongside you, are a reminder of what’s possible when we refuse to go it alone. It was a privilege to share the road with you.

Who in your life has trusted you to help carry their dream across the finish line, and whose dream could you be helping to carry right now?

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📢 CHICAGO MARATHON UPDATE: 2 weeks left until I’ll be running as a charity runner for @achilles_international in Chicago!! Such an amazing organization helping blind and disabled athletes so please donate if you’re able to - Link is in my bio to do so!!

I’ve also been building @mattr.coach to make affordable run coaching accessible for all and have been putting the first month of all new users to the fundraising target, so if you’re training for something or know someone that is click the link in my bio, sign up, and you’ll donate to a great cause AND get your very own personal run coach you can text anytime 💬

Really appreciate your support and let’s see what we can do in 2 weeks, I believe we can make it 😤!

#goachilles #chicagomarathon

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pick up our second world major marathon bib 🥹

thank you for supporting this journey 🫶🏻 in every single way you’ve made this possible 🇩🇪

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