Paralympic Hopefuls among the Competitors in the 2012 Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K
On Memorial Day, racers from all over the world competed in the 12th Annual Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K—the wheelchair division of the Fred d’Elia Ridgewood Run. It was the first wheelchair race in NJ and is now one of the largest integrated races in the region as runners and wheelchair athletes compete on the same course at the same time. Racers competed for a total purse of $10,000. The competition featured former and current Paralympians, who are some of the most elite racers in the world. With the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London approaching, for some of the athletes, the Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K was a stop along the way to the Paralympic qualifying round.
With seconds to spare, Jordan Bird, from AZ, beat out Laurens Molina, from Costa Rica, with a time of 22.13 minutes. Bird has won the Men’s Open division three years in a row and is now training hard to reach the games in London.
Jessica Galli, from IL, set a new Women’s Open course record as she crossed the finish line in 25.18 minutes. She also celebrated her tenth victory in her 11 years of competing in the Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K. Having competed in the Sydney, Athens, and Beijing games, Galli is a three-time Paralympian where she won six medals. On her way to the London games, she has made her qualifying times and now has to finish in the top three during the qualifying round at the end of June.
Santiago Sanz, from Spain, won the Quad Men division for the third consecutive year with a time of 24.47 minutes—a new Quad course record. This former Paralympian lives in Georgia four months a year so he can compete in the biggest races in the US. Also in the Quad division were Paralympian hopefuls Raymond Martin and Gianfranco Iannotta. These 18 year olds compete on the North Jersey Navigators, an adaptive sports team for junior athletes with disabilities. Training six days a week, they are hoping to be one of the youngest members of Team USA in the Paralympics.
Ramiro Bermudez, from TX, clinched the Male Masters division as he completed the 10K in 22.33 minutes. With that time, he set a new Grandmasters divisional course record. While the Masters division is for athletes who are 40 years of age or older and the Grandmasters is for those who are ages 50 and over, the 52 year old Bermudez challenged himself even more by competing with the Masters racers.
Winning the Grandmasters division was Gary Brendel, from MA. He crossed the finish line in 25.24 minutes. Born with a disability, Brendel has been wheelchair racing for more than thirty years.
Jim Cuevas, a member of the North Jersey Navigators, won the E*Athlete Male division—for racers between 19 and 21 years old—with a time of 28.48 minutes. His father is the head coach of the Navigators. Cuevas is currently in college and hopes to become a recreational therapist.
Charles Jackson, also from the Navigators, completed the course in 27.18 minutes to win the Male Junior division for athletes under 19 years of age.
The Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K has seen individuals just beginning their racing careers and develop into Paralympic athletes. We wish them the best of luck on their quest to reach the London games.
Like Kessler Foundation on Facebook to see the Wheelchair 10K photos. View the complete Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K results.
