Disney Race

On January 8, 2011, CIGNA, a global health service company will be sponsoring the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. There, the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans, consisting of 11 members, will be competing. This race will be the first of the new year for the Freedom Team. Throughout the race, the members will be competing by either running or using a hand crank wheelchair.

This race gives the opportunity to injured service members to train and compete in mainstream races throughout the country. Mike Fradera, 33, will be the returning champion and one of the participants in this race. After serving 10 years in the army, Mike lost both legs below the knee to an IED explosion on August 17, 2007, in Baghdad.

“I was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas where I got fitted with prosthetic legs. Since then, I’ve competed in 13 marathons since my first one in Miami in January 2009,” Fradera said. In last years CIGNA Disney Half,  he won first-place hand-cyclist and trains regularly to represent Achilles in races throughout the year.

Could you compete with SSGT Fradera?

Achilles International is a non-profit organization providing mainstream athletic opportunities for people with disabilities. It was founded in 1983, and now has chapters throughout the United States and in 60 countries worldwide.

For the full story please visit Military.com.

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