Eugenia Paris is preparing to handcycle 26.2 miles in the TCS New York City Marathon on November 1. The 20-year-old University of Miami marketing student is training with Pilates, pull-ups and adaptive cycling, according to NBC 6 South Florida.
Training for the race
Paris drives herself to the University of Miami campus using hand controls for acceleration and braking, NBC 6 reported. Recreational therapist Ashley Herrera suggested handcycling after learning that Paris had been a runner. Herrera told the station that adaptive sports can promote physical activity and help patients connect with others.
For Paris, the event is an adaptive-sports challenge rather than a conventional running competition. NBC 6 reported that she hopes to complete the race as a personal milestone in her recovery.
The rehabilitation setting
Paris sustained a spinal cord injury in a rideshare crash, was airlifted from the scene and spent six days in intensive care, according to NBC 6. She later received more than five weeks of treatment between the hospital and the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center. The station reported that the injury left her paraplegic and unable to walk.
The Lynn center is a joint facility involving Jackson Health System and UHealth. A University of Miami InventUM account describes the facility’s connection to The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which was co-founded in 1985 and conducts clinical research involving paralysis and spinal cord injuries. The center’s recreational therapy program has also guided patients with severe spinal cord injuries toward handcycling and other adaptive sports, according to the article’s cited Jackson Health System information.
Accessible transportation in Miami-Dade
For residents who cannot independently use accessible Metrobus, Metrorail or Metromover service because of a physical or mental disability, Miami-Dade County says its Special Transportation Service may provide an option. According to the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works, STS offers shared-ride, door-to-door transportation throughout most of the county 24 hours a day, seven days a week; a Florida-licensed physician must complete the eligibility application.
Race-day support
Handcycle participants compete in an official exhibition division under New York Road Runners rules, according to Achilles International. The organization says more than 400 of its members take part in the marathon each year and describes support that includes trained guides, an emergency guide exchange point and guidance for handcyclists. Those resources are part of the race environment Paris is preparing to enter.
