by Terra Osterling
Ryan ChalmersChurchville native Ryan Chalmers had two miles to go to complete his Push Across America on June 15, but the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, one of three in New York City that Chalmers had to cross to get to his finish line, doesn’t allow non-motorized vehicles.
“Throughout the Push, we had a lot of instances of good luck, and this was one of them,” says Chalmers of how the NYPD was able to make it as safe as possible for him to cross, guaranteeing that he could push every single mile of his 3,321 mile journey.
The NYPD then closed off side streets as Chalmers made his way to Central Park. “Normally when a motorcade blocks traffic, motorists get upset, but people were actually getting out of their cars and waving as they passed by,” says Ryan’s father, Gregg Chalmers.
Pushing for 71 consecutive days was something Ryan Chalmers was able to do because, he says, he knew why he was doing it.
Chalmers pushed his wheelchair racer across America to raise awareness about the capabilities of disabled youth and young adults, specifically to benefit Stay-Focused Inc. and Rochester SportsNet, and all adaptive and would-be adaptive sport athletes.
Chalmers says, “People have the ‘what’ in mind, and others can help with the ‘how,’ but it’s really the ‘why’ – that reason that helps you accomplish your goal.”
Though Ryan can’t walk, he does use leg braces that allow him to stand if he supports himself with something. Shown here, Ryan puts away his leg braces prior to preparing for a final day’s Push into Manhattan, New York from Highland Park, New Jersey. Chalmers’ support team for the Push included trainer Karla Wessels of the University of Illinois, who monitored nutrition and his physical condition. Roger Muller, founder of Stay-Focused, drove a support vehicle behind (and protecting) Chalmers. Photographer Parker Feierbach also managed the route.
Aaron Pike, himself a Paralympic wheelchair athlete, kept Chalmers’ racer in top condition. Corey Pike, Aaron’s brother, maintained and drove the RV. Chalmers also calls Corey the Team Optimist.
“Every time I complained I had to climb for four hours, he’d say, ‘at least you didn’t just climb for five hours’,” recalls Chalmers. During steep climbs, Corey would walk alongside while carrying a large rock on his shoulder, or run ahead and do push-ups until Chalmers passed.
“You can’t train for this 100%,” says Chalmers, “but you want to be 100% recovered at the (daily) starting line … you anticipate, you adapt, and you push through the fatigue – which does kick in after 2,500 miles.”
A crowd of family and friends, and representatives from Mayor Bloomberg’s office, met Chalmers at the finish in Central Park.
Ryan pushes over the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn from Staten Island, only one borough away from Manhattan. A week later, he was in France watching the Le Mans 24 hour race at the invitation of a driver he met in Kansas City. And on June 27, Ryan Chalmers was welcomed home at Frontier Field, receiving commendations from the State of New York, the County of Monroe, the City of Rochester, the Town of Riga, and the key to the Village of Churchville.
Speaking engagements are piling up and Chalmers is connecting with television networks to talk about his journey.
“Who knows where this all is going to take me,” he says. Though, Chalmers already has another goal – next year he begins training for the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
