Story by Mary MacDonald – Adaptive Sports New England multisport wheelchair athlete. 

Honestly, signing up for a race isn’t just about how fast you can go or whether you cross the finish line—it’s about seeing what you’re made of and maybe surprising yourself along the way. For me, that race was in Falmouth. Seven miles doesn’t sound super long, but wow, it was the toughest thing I’ve done—and I’ll never forget it.

I first tried adaptive sports way back when I was five. My mom took me to basketball and tennis clinics run by Adaptive Sports New England, where I got to work with multiple coaches, some of whom were Paralympians! I had no clue what I was doing, but it opened up a whole new world for me, seeing firsthand the skills and passion that these top athletes brought to the sport. Later, I took a break to get involved with disability advocacy and other stuff, but honestly, I always missed the excitement and community of adaptive sports.

When high school rolled around, they made us pick a sport, so I went with track and field. My family found a basketball wheelchair for free on Facebook Marketplace, which worked—sort of! At that point, I barely knew what wheelchair racing even was, but I figured I’d give it a shot. As I trained and got into it, I realized I totally loved racing. My mom posted online, and we got connected with more racers—eventually leading me to an Adaptive Sports New England wheelchair racing clinic. That’s also around the time something amazing happened: Achilles International gifted me my very first push rim racing wheelchair. I didn’t have to borrow one anymore, and having my own chair made racing feel so much more real and exciting.

Adaptive Sports New England supported me—they helped me train seriously, and with my new racing wheelchair, I started competing in my school meets for real. I’ve raced at Hartford Nationals twice, which was wild and super inspiring. This summer, though, was the biggest challenge: the Falmouth Road Race. If you don’t know, it’s kind of famous in the wheelchair racing world. This year was the 50th anniversary of the wheelchair division, so my first Falmouth race felt extra special. There were 24 wheelchair racers at the start, which was the most I’d ever seen. Seeing everyone set up and ready to roll got my heart racing in the best way.

As race day got closer, I was all nervous energy and excitement. Everyone talks about Falmouth’s steep hills and tough stretches—and they weren’t kidding! The steepest hill is right at the end, so pacing matters a lot. I prepared with mile-long sessions on the track: blasting down the straightaways, catching my breath on the turns, and repeating it a bunch of times. All that training definitely helped build up my endurance.

On race day, every push was seriously hard work. I kept thinking about my journey—from learning the basics at those clinics with Paralympians to racing next to some of the top wheelchair athletes around. When I got close to the finish and hit that final hill (trust me, it was brutal!), I just told myself I couldn’t back down. Every mile and each improvement felt like proof that I’d come a long way. Crossing that finish line was unreal—I was exhausted but so proud.

Falmouth was so much more than just seven miles. It was a huge milestone for me—a day where I realized I’m stronger than I thought and that being part of this community is awesome. If that was my hardest race so far, I’m pumped for whatever comes next. Who knows where the road will lead? All I know is, I’m ready for more.

That’s it for now! -Mary