Achilles International is a non-profit organization with Chapters and members in over 65 locations (and counting) within the United States and abroad-including here in Connecticut.  Our mission is to transform the lives of people with disabilities through athletics and social connection. Achilles pairs athletes with disabilities with runners without disabilities in order to become active, set goals, and lower barriers to living a fulfilling life. 

Our athletes and volunteers come together to walk, run, crutch, crank or roll in an environment of support. Within this community, athletes of all ages and abilities gain measurable physical strength and build confidence through a sense of accomplishment, which often transfers to other parts of their life.

With in-person running events on hold in 2020 due to COVID-19, Achilles has kept athletes and volunteers engaged through virtual programming, ranging from weekly speaker series and book groups over Zoom to producing adaptive online workouts to keep members focused on their goals.  Lastly, we paired our athletes with local volunteers virtually to compete in a state-wide workout competition that will culminate with one of the race distances or challenges between October 8-11.

We are excited to participate as Team Achilles CT in the 2020 Virtual Eversource Hartford Marathon and thrilled to be a Gold-Tier Official Charity Partner for the 7th year in a row!  The funds we raise directly benefit our Team of disabled athletes by covering their registration and adaptive equipment costs for future events, thus lowering the barriers to their participation in mainstream road racing.