During races, it takes a village. Just come to one. You’ll find KPF’s village of dads stepping up, lending a hand, from helping with equipment and setup, to transferring athletes into chairs and bikes, to pushing chairs and sidling to perform on-course equipment fixes. Oh, and then there’s packing everything up after a long day. But the work that these dads do take place way before the start line. It is done within households of in-chair athletes and volunteers – in small moments – and grows from there.

Being part of a community of people with common backgrounds and bonding with his daughter, Katy, are motivators for volunteer and dad, Ryan Freeseman. “I want to help where I can because I want more families to experience the connection they can have with their kids and the joy others can have by competing,” said Freeseman.

Wilson primarily trains and races for the social aspect of it. She tried the typical training routine, coach and all. But she preferred running and cycling with friends over keeping up with rigid training plans formulated by personal trainers.

This special edition blog was a little tougher than others to write. KPF moms can be found advocating for their children, cheering on the race course, signing up for races from their laptop, and managing logistics. What I have determined is that they do not necessarily want the spotlight or do not necessarily see themselves as extraordinary. BUT THEY ARE!

For Mother’s Day (whether they like it or not) we are turning the spotlight on them. We want to highlight all the moms because they are among the unsung heroes of, and advocates for, their families.

April 19-25 is Volunteer Appreciation Week and The Kyle Pease Foundation wants to take this time to send out a very special thank you to the hundreds of volunteers that make it possible for our athletes to race each year.

Cecil Williams is an adventurous soul. In 2018, after being involved in a hit-and-run accident that caused his peripheral neuropathy, he turned to adaptive sports as a way to rehabilitate his body and spirit. Through a nonprofit in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Williams quickly transformed into an adventure-seeking adrenaline junkie.