Wheeling Strong for Publix

Greetings KPeasey Nation, 

We hope you have been enjoying the Spotlight Blogs featuring our volunteers, athletes, and team members.  Kevin Enners, one of our athletes and KPF employees, has been using his skills to tell these amazing stories.  Stay tuned for many more to come.  

It is hard to believe it’s February already and you know what that means… It’s time for our favorite marquee event, The Publix Atlanta Half Marathon.  Although it will look a little (or a lot) different this year, we are super excited to wheel with our friends from near and far.  

This year’s Publix Atlanta Half Marathon will take place at Atlanta Motor Speedway, just outside of the city of Atlanta.  Because of COVID restrictions and permitting, our friends at Atlanta Track Club felt this would be the best spot to race in person for the event.  We are thankful for all of their hard work and determination to make this race happen.  

Every time I think of this race, a huge smile crosses my face and my heart fills with gratitude.  This race is very special to me as the 2011 Publix was my 2nd race to ever compete as an athlete. Reflecting about this gives me goosebumps! It’s incredible for me to see how far I have come as an athlete and we have come as KPF. I am forever grateful to my brothers who ran in this race with me in 2011… as the signs said we were “Three Peases in a Pod.”  

The 2021 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon, will be a very notable race to me, my brother, and KPF. This race will officially kick off our 10 years racing together for inclusion.  What a great way to show our community what inclusion is at its purest form!  I am grateful for the amazing volunteers, support crew, parents, and most of all the athletes that have raced with us each year and who are making Year 10 possible.

I can’t wait to approach the start line in just a few weeks to “start our engines” together for inclusion.  I will be joined by over 30 other athletes, numerous volunteers, and thousands of supporters cheering us on virtually across the world.  

Here we go, KPeasey Nation… Wheeling strong for 10 year together!

Meet Chris Johnson, The Athlete, The Volunteer, The Leader

Surging out of Lake Loyd on a crisp December day competing in the Challenge Daytona triathlon, pro and amateur triathletes sprint toward their bikes. The moment his fingertips touch the ground, Chris Johnson springs up and dashes out of the water. Fastening his helmet strap under his chin, he swings a leg over his bike and merges with the throng of amateur racers.  Despite having his appendix removed only three weeks prior, Johnson placed fifth in the middle-distance event, first in the sprint. 

“I was a little disappointed in my performance in the middle-distance race,” he shared. “But I was happy I bounced back in the sprint race.”

His affable demeanor, can-do attitude, and leadership sparks bonds with practically everyone he meets – especially in the KPF family. A scholar of leadership, Chris follows the words of John Maxwell: “Everything rises and falls on leadership. He believes the fundamentals of leadership – in or outside sports, are building blocks to a team. 

Johnson’s tenure as a KPF volunteer began in 2018, with one heck of a first race – The Atlanta Publix Half-marathon. Chris completed the hilly race with push-assist volunteers Bill Wileman and Thomas Odom, and in-chair athlete Jon Crais. Joking around, talking, the three became fast friends and a strong push-assist crew. They finished the half-marathon in a little over an hour and a half – plenty of time for an everlasting fellowship to be forged. The trio still keeps in touch via social media to this very day.  

“There is no such thing as good teams or bad teams - only good leaders and bad leaders,” Johnson states. “So, any result, good or bad, is ultimately a reflection of the leaders.”

But what exactly drives Johnson to be a good leader? Simple. Taking pride in knowing he is inspiring others to challenge themselves to set goals and achieve them. “There have been several times when someone has ‘done a triathlon’ or ‘started working out.’ While there isn't really any accomplishment for me, I certainly feel the proudest in those moments.” 

Now on KPF’s Board of Directors, Chris helps guide KPF’s growth as his selflessness extends beyond the finish. But, at home, he’s just your typical dad keeping up with his kids, taking them to swim meets, cross country races, soccer games, and track and field meets. They spend family time playing board games and having fun with their cat, Stew. 

“I had no idea the impact racing with The Kyle Pease Foundation would have on me,” Chris says. “I love racing in general but racing with KPF takes the joy of racing to a new level.” 

Interview written by Kevin Enners

Meet Ricardo, The All-Arounder

Before the Kentucky derby, jockeys, horses, and trainers walk pass the stables, over to the rear entrance of the racetrack where they anxiously anticipate the thrilling, full-out mile-and-a-quarter gallop. Chair athlete, Ricardo Aranda, feels that anticipation before each race, mentally preparing himself to go as hard as he can. 

“Let me be the first to tell you that I can be extremely formal and serious looking (before competing).” 

Aranda discovered the world of road racing when he attended The Kyle Pease Foundation’s Camp Wheel Away in 2014. To Ricardo, the feeling of racing is absolutely incredible.

“I was recruited into the sport after attending a weekend camp put on by The Kyle Pease Foundation, in conjunction with Camp Twin Lakes.”

Typically, Aranda plans his racing schedule ahead of time before the start of the upcoming season to make sure that his races do not conflict with his parents work schedules. Then, Ricardo meticulously coordinates racing strategies with a KPF volunteer runner to gear up for his next endeavor. 

Aranda’s first race was The Atlanta Publix 5k where foot racers and wheelchair racers alike get a taste of the Atlanta racing scene. “After that race,” says Ricardo. “I have never looked back.”

Among the estimated 40 races he has completed, Aranda’s impressive past performances not only include Atlanta-based Publix Half Marathon and The AJC Peachtree Road Race, but also the world-renowned New York City Marathon.

Ricardo trains by running laps in his power wheelchair to get his body conditioned to  sitting in one spot for hours. “That way, my body is already used to it,” he explains. 

Before the dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases, he would also attend practice runs organized by KPF as part of his training.

Throughout his life, Aranda has been active in sports whether it be endurance racing or wheelchair sports. A player on the Johns Creek-based wheelchair sports team, The Titans, this well-rounded athlete cross-trains by playing wheelchair handball, basketball and football. 

“I've been involved in sports for as long as I can remember,” Ricardo says. He credits his adaptive P.E. Teacher for igniting the competitive flame that has grown into a passion. “Thanks to her, the feeling that I have when I race and play handball with my team is exactly the same.” And, that feeling is freedom.

Interview written by Kevin Enners 

Resolution Run & Kicking off 10th Year

The Kyle Pease Foundation is turning 10!  Wow, a whole decade of getting to do what we love with people that have become family.  Words can’t fully express the gratitude and joy this brings to me and so many others. 

In 2011 we sat in a borrowed Board Room trying to figure out how to recruit our first athlete and how to serve our community.  Little did I know that my dream would go this far. KPF has sent teams across the country to race in MA, CA, UT, FL, WI, FL, PA, and HI.  We supported 65 teams for The Publix Atlanta Half Marathon in 2020 and we know the best is yet to come!

My dream of making KPeasey exceptional has become a reality.  I give full credit to those who make up our KPeasey Family: our Executive Director, Board of Directors, volunteers, donors, partners, and most importantly, the athletes we serve and their families. While the road hasn’t always been easy, we have learned Together WE Wheel makes a difference!

On January 2nd, we kicked off our 10 year anniversary with a Resolution Run. Thanks to our amazing partners at the Atlanta Track Club, we gathered with purpose to start the year off together in a beautiful way on the Silver Comet Trail.  Smiles were felt by every athlete, every volunteer, and spectator.  It was an honor to be back out with our KPeasey family and generating the momentum of great things to come.

Stay tuned in 2021 for exciting things with the Foundation, highlights of our team members, volunteers, and more!  We can’t wait to see all of the adventures this year brings and for our BIG 10 Year Anniversary Celebration in June. 

I am thankful for the journey that has brought us all here today.  

Together We Definitely Will Wheel!   

Kyle

Meet Justin "Tri-Man" Dugan

Justin Dugan strolls down a trail, snapping photos of landscapes and flowers. He returns to his Acworth home where his wife, Sara, greets him. He sits down, reaches for a paperback novel, and spends the rest of his downtime reading and playing with his kids. If you were watching him at this moment, you’d hardly know his deep passion for sports – let alone his pedigree as a collegiate hockey player, marathoner, and triathlete. 

As a hockey player at College of Charleston, he skated between academics and the ice, helping his team win the divisional championship.

“At the beginning, I wasn’t a good student,” Dugan reflects. “But once I got focused on my major – Corporate Communication – and started working in radio I became a great student.” 

Dugan’s tenure as a push athlete all began half a decade ago when friend Brent Pease invited him to run with an in-chair athlete in a local race. As Brent sprinted down the road with Kyle in his blue race chair, their eyes glowing with excitement, Justin was inspired to share that bond with an athlete like Kyle.  

It’s no secret that athletes in general set lofty goals. Disabled athletes are no exception. Specialized in half-marathons, Justin Dugan had not yet competed in a triathlon, but teamed up with in-chair athlete Justin – a man on a mission to become an Ironman. Together, they executed a rigorous training plan leading up to Ironman Augusta. On track to fulfill their goal, the duo swam and biked halfway through the race when a mechanical breakdown occurred, thwarting their otherwise immaculate performance. 

Heartbreaking as it was, Justin Dugan puts a positive spin on that day. “I learned a lot that day from JDude and about the foundation,” says Dugan. Though it was not the outcome they wanted, it made them stronger. For Dugan, it’s not the destination, but the journey that counts. 

“There is a lot more to life than running and doing triathlons. It’s the people you meet and the times you get to share that really matter,” says Dugan. “That’s why I do it. I spend time with great people seeing places I’d never see unless I was running or on my bike. At KPF, I get to share that with other athletes, as well as introduce it to new people.” 

Interview written by Kevin Enners