Dear Margaret,

Achilles International mourns the loss of our founder and former President and CEO Richard (“Dick”) Traum, 83, New York, NY who passed away yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Traum family and our entire athlete community.

Dick was the first individual to complete a marathon on a prosthetic leg at a time when sports were not as welcoming or accessible to the disability community and before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed.

“I wanted to pass on the same joy I felt when crossing the finish line at the 1976 New York City Marathon. I wanted to mainstream our members … That driving force led to the creation of an international phenomenon, the true definition of the words rise up. Achilles is passion,” he once wrote in The Courage To Go Forward.

Just as he would tell his athletes, we say to him, “You did it.”

*Early group photo from 1983. Dick is first at left in the back row.

His personal achievement of crossing one finish line, ignited possibility and new start lines in others. What began as a small track club in Central Park over 40 years ago, has become a movement impacting the lives of thousands of people across the globe.

Inspired by the Greek hero and warrior, Achilles, our name serves as a symbol of finding greatness and strength. The bright neon yellow shirts that are donned in parks and on race courses around the world are a beacon and a testament to his vision and the collective power of community.

We will forever be grateful to Dick for bringing us together and awakening in us the spirit of hope and possibility.

May he rest in peace. We will honor his legacy by continuing his race to a fully inclusive society and start line.