Rio 2016 Paralympian Guided by Elite Ultra Marathoner, Michael Wardian

Paralympian, Chaz Davis surprised us all last December when he broke an American record in the B2 visual impairment category in his debut marathon. Davis finished the California International Marathon in an impressive 2:31:48, winning the 2016 U.S. Association of Blind Athletes Marathon National Championship title in the men’s division. And this just months after competing in the 1500m and 5000m events at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. The following month, elite ultra-marathoner, Michael Wardian won the 2017 World Marathon Championships – a seven-day tour across the seven continents for seven marathons – in record time, averaging 2:45:57 for each. Both runners have…  Read More

Students Awarded 2017 USABA Scholarships

Each year, thanks to the generosity of the I C You Foundation and Arthur & Helen Copeland, USABA offers scholarships to members who exhibit exceptional drive in athletic achievement and educational endeavors. We are proud to present the I C You Foundation Valor Achievement Award to Charles “Chaz” Davis (Grafton, Mass.) and the Arthur E. & Helen Copeland scholarship to Vanessa Coleman (Lakeland, Fla.). Charles “Chaz” Davis (Grafton, Mass.) lost his vision suddenly to Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) at 19 years old. He was a freshman at the University of Hartford. “I thought my life as I knew it was…  Read More

USABA Competitive and Recreational Community Sports Integration Project for Veterans

A key component of military service regardless of the era challenges one’s physical abilities. Remember all of those long ruck marches, unit fun runs, and PT tests? Yes, like many of you I try not to as well, but one cannot argue against the amount of research and information about the benefits of exercise to combat adverse health and mental health conditions. More importantly, organizations like USABA; Team Red, White, and Blue; Achilles, and your local sporting groups built tremendous communities with a vested interest in the wellbeing of those who elect to participate. USABA just rolled out a new…  Read More

A Mother’s Love for Running, Passed On

Barcelona 1992 Paralympic gold medalist and USABA Hall of Fame recipient Pam McGonigle is passing on her love of running to her son, JT. The two train together on a regular basis and McGonigle guided JT to a 1:51:20 finish at his first half marathon in March. Completing the half was a stretch goal JT set for himself when McGonigle set a stretch goal of running a 50-mile trail run on Mother's Day. It all started when McGoingle and another parent started a cross country team at the school JT was attending. "Someone from the school knew my running history…  Read More