Big Congratulations to Roy this month. If you didn’t know Roy was in a bike crash right before his big goal races in 2024 breaking his elbow. He had to give up both races after a really great build, beyond disappointing.
We would have completely understood if Roy decided to throw in the towel or even just taken a break.
But instead Roy dug in. He followed his PT plan, doing everything possible to get back. 2025 Dopey Challenge: 5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon was on the schedule and Roy had his sight set on completing it. And although he wasn’t in tip-top shape going into the Dopey Challenge he made it to the start line and completed it– smiling the whole time . This is an incredible testimony of commitment. We are incredibly proud of Roy’s perseverance and attitude. Well Done ROY!
“I am truly humbled and pleasantly surprised to be chosen for Athlete of the Month. It has been a very interesting 4-5 months. When I crashed my bike (the bike is OK with only a few scratches!) during one of my last training rides for CassadagaMan 70.3 and fractured my left elbow at the end of August, I had to back out of that race and Jones Beach NY 70.3. The Disney Dopey was my ‘carrot’ still hanging out there.
After surgery to repair the fracture and when my arm was in a splint, I was walking on the treadmill as much as I could to maintain some level of fitness. We were about 6 weeks out from The Dopey race series when I was finally cleared to run again. A rapid ramp up in miles caused my Achilles Tendonosis to flare up again making it difficult to run without pain. The plan became ‘do the 5K and 10K and see how I felt.’
Amazingly, I was feeling better. With walking the first tenth of every mile and stopping to get pictures with the characters, I finished the half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday, completing the 48.6 miles over 4 days. Really meant a lot to me to complete The Dopey, especially after the setback of a severe injury. This is something I’ve wanted to do since running The Goofy in 2014. Running at Disney is always fun but it was that much better being there with my teammates and cheering each other on. A huge thanks for the support of the Rise Up Racing coaches and of course my wife Lorrie.”
