Positively Impacted Lives from the Family Perspective

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common.Celebrate it every day.”— Author Unknown

The Kyle Pease Foundation knows this well, succinctly summing it up in the motto, “Together We Wheel!”. Initially, a grassroots group with the goal of getting individuals who have special needs involved in road races, KPF has evolved into an experience for the whole family.

Family is a big part of the Walking with KPeasey narrative. It's about connection, reinforcing bonds among family members and building resilience for navigating life's ups and downs. Parents and siblings who champion for inclusion and support their loved ones through racing prove to be a positive impact on the entire family unit.

A veteran chair athlete and KPF employee, Justin Knight is more confident and aware of who he is and what he’s capable of.

“Meeting KPF opened up a whole new world for us to not only do something tremendous together but for J-Dude to have experiences that he never imagined,” saysTeresa Knight, Justin’s mom. “The family that we have gained in KPF is immeasurable and has totally changed our life.”

Creating a community for families typically isolated because of their diverse challenges, helps them realize they are not alone.

Chair athlete Julia Goutiex loves going fast. She loves to feel the wind blowing through her hair racing around corners with her dad, Pascal, pushing.

“Joining KPF has enabled us to meet other families going through the same stuff and helped us put things into perspective… And helped us approach life in a different way.”

Creating opportunities for families to get together, have fun and share information and resources that help in everyday living is another by-product of KPF’s mission.

Sherry Adams loves racing, according to her mom and dad.

“We get to be with other families and understand their struggles and share resources and live life to the fullest!”

These positive experiences contribute to the overall well being of families creating stronger bonds among each other and to the community.

“Kevin and I ran many road races by ourselves before joining the KPF family. Although we enjoyed doing so, we never had the sense of team and camaraderie that we now experience as part of KPF,” added Rich Enners.

Ricardo Aranda’s brother, Christian Aranda, says that “KFP has been completely life changing for our family. The opportunities we’ve been able to experience were unforgettable and would have been unachievable without KPF. We thank KPF for everything they’ve done for our family and we are forever grateful. “

A thriving environment helps us all appreciate and celebrate our differences whether you’re an in-chair athlete, push athlete or family member.

Experience KPeasey: Kevin Enners, KPF Athlete

Experience KPeasey:
Kevin Enners recounts what racing Publix Atlanta Half Marathon feels like to an Athlete

4:30am on Race Day:
My dad walks in my room in his cycling clothes. At first – in my fog of half-slumber drunkenness – I wonder, is this a dream? I’ve had one similar to this, except, in the dream, my dog woke me up. And, he was talking. I check outside my room to see Bo trying to herd everyone and my mom breezes by, descending the stairs to the kitchen where she attends to our German Shepherd and fixes breakfast for me. As I pull on my cycling garments with dad’s help and lube my feet in petroleum jelly, strap braces on, I start to feel a familiar rush of excitement in these moments before a big race like The Atlanta Publix half-marathon. 

When we begin lining up for the race start, I feel nervous, excited, cold, hot. It is the worst part of racing for me. I’m strapped in, ready to blast off in my hobo rocket and time seems to slow to a crawl. It used to be I’d let this get to me, but over the years, I’ve learned how to relax, so when I feel anxious, I take a few deep cleansing breathes and reassure myself – I got this.

Some people are gifted with thin runner bodies and fly through space effortlessly. I am not one of those people. Due to my cerebral palsy, I train and race with a recumbent cycle. I don’t know why, but it’s very relaxing. I might be going out of my skull on my indoor trainer, but amid the suffering, there is a certain freedom to cranking. It gets me away from the monotony of sitting in a wheelchair eight hours a day. It frees my restless spirit while keeping my legs strong. And, it levels the playing field in road races where I feel equal to runners or other wheelchair or crank athletes. Hills don’t care if you have a disability or not. You still have to get over them. 

Once the race begins, I’m in “the zone”. I ignore all urges to consciously pass people, if it happens, it happens, I don’t force it. I don’t notice the spectators; my focus is on the road with its dips, turns and potholes. The cheers of the crowd and encouraging shouts from other athletes all blend into background noise as I concentrate on managing my pace. I remember my training, that this is what all of it has been for, and I hope it’s enough. Most importantly, I try to enjoy it. 

With the finish line in sight, I know I should be ecstatic the end is near, but I am one of those people who say, “Aw man, it’s over?!”  I do, however, feel a sense of accomplishment for my effort and relief that no “broken wheel award” was earned.

I am extremely goal oriented. I look forward to the next adventure. My racing experience has shown me that planning, preparing and training is key to achieving my goals. Setting goals help me move forward and stay engaged. Completing my goals gives me motivation to set loftier ones.

KPF Is Always Looking Forward...Except At Year End

I’ve always felt that it is best to remain looking forward and into the future and spend as little time as possible looking behind into the rear view mirror. It’s a healthy attitude that always leaves be moving forward and never in reverse.

However, at the end of another record breaking and highly successful year, it is the one time I allow myself to rejoice in past accomplishments. And what a year it has been.

Our athletes set the tone and raised the bar of the Foundation, as well as, in their own personal competition. It seems that every time we believe our team of athletes has reached their peak, they manage to climb a little higher. This lends credence to our motto, Where There’s a Wheel, There’s a Way. And the way of the KPF athlete is upward and onward.

In 2019, 50 athletes and a whopping 225 volunteers participated in March at The Annual Publix Race which was our largest race showing to date. No idea how large the support and the Foundation can get, but this was certainly a prime example of how much we continue to grow.

In May we released our autobiography, Beyond of Finish. The book has done tremendously well even spending time in the number one spot on the Amazon list for books on inclusion and in the top five for triathlons. To date, we’ve received nearly 50, Five- star reviews and encourage everyone to visit Amazon and leave another. We would like to show our extreme gratitude to our partner Buffalo Wild Wings, who supported the project and continues to lead the way with their incredible support.

The Peach Tree Road Race has elevated itself to become the marquis event for the push assist division and the most competitive push assist 10k race in the country. I like to think that we had a lot to do with that not only for the Foundation but in the name of inclusion. We broke the barrier in 2014 and it grew to nine assist teams in 2019 each of whom have to qualify in February in order to compete in July. 

In October we participated in the Marine Corps Marathon in DC. Though we had a wonderful race in the back drop of the Nation’s Capitol, we may take a brief hiatus as the logistics need to be fine tuned before we return. We will be back, but not likely in the year ahead.

In November, we enjoyed our End of year Bowling with Kpeasey Fundraiser with Ricardo Aranda capturing the coveted Jake Vincent Award. For those of you who experienced this, he wasn’t crying, he just had something in his eye.

In the coming months and year ahead, sign ups for the Publix is about to begin. This year, Publix weekend will be coupled with Olympic trials on Saturday. We are again partnering with the Atlanta Track Club as the official push assist sponsor for the Publix Race. We will have a presence at the Expo with some of the Olympic athletes in attendance as well.

In April of 2020 the Boston Pease Party will take place with Brent and I and Lizzie Kirksey and Gordie Powell taking on the 26.2 Boston Marathon. We will be partnering with Dick and Rick Hoyt and The Hoyt Foundation Team which is a near dream come true!

April is also the annual Camp-Wheel-Away event. We encourage all to join us in attendance of a truly unforgettable weekend away.

On behalf of Brent and I and all the athletes, have a joyous holiday season and a happy New Year. We couldn't do it without all you, our KPF family. ~ Kyle

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“We are all so proud to be a part of the Kyle Pease Foundation and helping all we serve. I am beyond proud of the work the board, Kevin, J-Dude, Shawna and our entire support structure perform on a continued basis.

We look forward to learning how to bring things beyond the finish.” ~ Brent

Another Year, Another Bowling with KPeasey!

This year, the “Boston Pease Party” theme was a play on words to celebrate not one, but TWO KPeasey teams who qualified for the 2020 Boston Marathon – Gordie and Lizzie and Brent and Kyle. It was also the stage for the presentations of the Jake Vinson Family Grant award and The Broken Wheel Award – a tongue-in-cheek prize for racers who mulishly fight through a race, regardless of what obstacles they face. 

This annual event celebrates and acknowledges all KPeasey athletes, in-chair and pushers, who inspire others as they cross countless finish lines to raise awareness and funds for inclusion, while pushing their physical boundaries.

Fun and comradery were at the forefront as families ate, played and cheered each other. The Vinson Family and the grant committee awarded the Jake Vinson Family Grant to Ricardo Aranda to help in the purchase of a wheelchair van. Ricardo’s positive, animated personality touched everyone as he thanked the foundation. His parents were clearly surprised and overwhelmed.

Although there were no equipment mishaps on the race course this year, the Broken Wheel Award went to Kevin Enners for his persistence and dedication in achieving his racing goals. Ironically enough, as he attempted to motor up to receive his award, the golf ball grip on his joystick went flying off, landing on the floor – double bogey?

Thank you to all who attended and celebrated with us! See you next year

Rain Didn't Keep KPeasey Away from the Marine Corps Marathon

Every great adventure come with challenges. Whether it be encountering mythical creatures, crashing through waves in the middle of the ocean, or racing amid a downpour in the Nation’s Capital.

The latter was the case for Team KPeasey participating in this year’s Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. It didn’t seem that bad at the start, the precipitation was just a drizzle, but soon, we would all be soaked. I, would soon be reconsidering some life choices and I’m sure I was not alone. A fellow KPeasey crank athlete, Jessica Minton had this to say in a post-race interview : “My arms are chaffed soooo bad. Like, I can’t wear a cotton shirt. It has to be silky.”

Luckily, we had an awesome support crew to get through the madness and howling wind. Volunteer, Pascal Goutiex, monitored the race from the sidelines, helping the in-chair athletes and their respective family before, during and after the race.  “I have always participated in races as a push assist, I decided it was time for me to participate in a race as volunteer, seeing it from the other side. I decided to do that for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC.”

“Despite the hard work that goes into the operational aspect of such a race, it was a rather rewarding experience. Helping the in-chair athletes and their respective family before, during and after the race was wonderful. It was also an eye opener and made me realize that our regular volunteers have been doing such a fantastic job all along.”

Pascal continues, “Once the athletes were on their way to the start line, I ran with an empty chair to the Francis Scott Key bridge in case we had to replace a broken one. From there, I ran to a few other points along the racecourse. Folks were looking at me, amused or intrigued, because I was running pushing an empty chair. Seeing racers passing by, especially the ones from KPF, was a very emotional experience. Seeing the will (and the wheel) of in-chair athletes and pushers to make it to the finish line, understanding that this is a rather difficult course and it was pouring rain pretty much throughout the race, was an amazing feeling. And despite the difficulties that day, everyone had a wonderful smile on their face at the end. As we were packing up after the race, I realized how fortunate my family is to know Kyle & Brent and all their brothers and sisters of this beautiful family.”

Despite the nasty weather, it was a fun last Marine Corps Marathon for all of the KPeasey Team. By the time I had crossed the finish line, after speeding through miles of puddles, I was soaked to the bone – yet, I was excited to have conquered another tough race. 

Together WE Wheel,
Kevin Enners
KPeasey Athlete & Team Member