Teams of 'Angels' and more things to know about this weekend's Run for Home
NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ Although a genetic condition has cost Bernard Prince the ability to run, he will join in the Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital Run for Home half-marathon on Sunday.
The 62-year-old former pastor from Canton will participate with the help of a seven-person support team that will push him in a racing wheelchair and check on his comfort throughout the 13.1-mile course.
His Aultman Hospital physical therapist, Michelle McCann, helped get Prince into the racing game after he told her in the fall how much he enjoyed watching track and field events.
"He said, 'When I get to heaven, I'm going to run the first 10,000 miles I'm there,' and that just wrecked my heart, and I said, 'Well, what if we can run on this side of heaven?'" said McCann.
Prince, who now relies on a powered wheelchair, had never heard about a running wheelchair, which more closely resembles a recumbent bicycle than a traditional wheelchair. With the help of McCann and other supporters, Prince has participated in two 5K races in a borrowed racing chair. He has a GoFundMe account that seeks $10,000 to buy his own model. As of Wednesday, he was about one-third of the way toward the goal.
Kugelberg-Welander syndrome weakens muscles
The GoFundMe pitch, titled Until We Can Run Again, tells how Kugelberg-Welander syndrome, a type of spinal muscular atrophy, stole his dreams of being like athletes Bruce Lee, Gale Sayers, Jim Kelly and Muhammad Ali.
"Soon after my early teen years, I noticed that I could not keep up in sports with my friends," Prince wrote. "I was always in last place in any sports activity. My muscles grew, but they had depreciating strength. In my twenties, I began to fall and in my thirties, broken bones."
At Sunday's half-marathon, McCann will ride a bike and check on Prince's well-being along the route. Her sister, pharmacist Melissa Overly, plans to do the pushing.
Eyes on the prize: 26.2 miles in Boston
McCann, a 46-year-old resident of Green in Summit County, said her sister's ultimate goal is to see if she can push Prince fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
"We've got big, big goals and big dreams. Bernard, his faith is very strong. We serve a God that likes it when we dream big, so that's what this team's doing," McCann said.
The Run for Home half-marathon was selected to see if Prince can withstand a long enough race to participate in the Canton Hall of Fame Marathon in May.
If he participates in the Canton race, 10 people will work in two-person relay teams to take him through the 26.2 miles. One will push and another will run beside him. About every five miles, they will pass him off to another team.
Prince said he faced no challenges at all in the 5K races and is looking forward to Sunday's half-marathon.
'Makes things exciting again'
"This one here is going to really teach me something because it is a lot longer than a 5K," he said. "It's just a great opportunity. I'm learning right now. I'm looking forward to getting back out into places that I haven't even gone, ever, in my entire life. I'm just ready to go as far as I can."
Prince said participating in races "got me back out in society. I wasn't out too much like I used to be when I was younger. I was inside a lot. It got me back out. It got my mind moving again. It kind of makes things exciting again."
He recently joined Ainsley's Angels of Northeast Ohio, which makes it possible for wheelchair users to participate in road races. An able-bodied person, called an "angel," pushes their partner through the race course. Prince and his team are among five Ainsley's Angels teams registered for this weekend's Run for Home.
Who are Ainsley's Angels?
The local group is part of Ainsley’s Angels of America. It was started in 2011 by Kim “Rooster” Rossiter, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, whose daughter Ainsley enjoyed having her father push her in road races. She died in 2016 at age 12 after living with infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy, a rare pervasive developmental disorder that affects the nervous system.
Ainsley's Angels of Northeast of Ohio is led by Tina White of Sebring in Mahoning County. She said the organization's volunteer crew grew from two volunteers to 48 during the 2022 racing season. She said some riders have developed the strength to become walkers.
Her daughter Ricki White, 30, will participate in her 83rd race at Run for Home this weekend, joining the 10K on Saturday and half-marathon on Sunday. She has been part of Ainsley's Angels for six years.
Ricki has epilepsy, which causes daily seizures, and a form of blindness that would allow her to see a car, but not to determine whether it's moving or parked, according to her mother.
"She doesn't have a lot of stamina," Tina said. "She can't see a crack in the sidewalk. She can't see a curb, so she always has to be holding someone's arm, unless she's at home. Her balance is always off."
At races, she plays YouTube videos and music on her phone. Her favorite song is "Free to Dance." Ricki said she likes participating in the races because they allow her to meet old friends and make new ones.
"It puts a smile on my face," she said. "I like waving my hair back and forth."
Aaron Donnelly has served as Ricki's "angel" since 2019. They just started racing again after a break due to COVID-19.
Why do they do it?
"It's enjoyable to work with her, to work with Ricki and to see her enjoyment," said Donnelly, a 44-year-old resident of Atwater in Portage County. "I've also run with other handicapped riders. It's just wonderful to see the joy that they get when you run with them and they get to go through the experience. Just seeing the looks on their faces when you cross the finish line and do things like that with them, is a wonderful thing."
Similar motivation is behind Phyllis Ryser's service as an angel.
"I love the participants’ joy when crossing the finish line; they truly are an inspiration," she told The Times-Reporter in a Facebook message. "I decided to be a part of Ainsley’s Angels ... because I love people." She said God gave her desire to run and walk. "I get to share that gift with someone else."
The 63-year-old from Columbiana County has served as an angel for fellow Salem resident Maryann Korff, whom she said is "delight."
Korff, 59, said she raced in Special Olympics when she was in school. She will participate in the 5K on Saturday. She said she enjoys the races.
'It brings me happiness'
"Now I get out of the house and do more things. It brings me happiness," she said.
The 16th annual Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital Run for Home will feature family activities and road races Saturday and Sunday.
All activities start and end at Tuscora Park, 161 Tuscora Ave. NW, except Sunday's post-race party at Hoodletown Brewing Co., 424 West Third St., Dover.
The Run for Home Community Fitness Festival benefits Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio. In the past 15 years, the event has generated $245,000 for Habitat projects in Tuscarawas County.
Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.
On Twitter: @nmolnarTR
16th annual Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital Run for Home schedule
Saturday
Country Club Rehabilitation Campus Family Day
8 a.m. – 11 a.m. registration and packet pick-up in Tuscora Park dining hall.
9:15 a.m. kids' egg run (free, no registration needed).
9:30 a.m. one mile fun run/walk.
10:30 a.m. 5K/10K races.
12:30 p.m. 5K and 10K courses close.
Family and group pricing is available for the one-mile fun run/walk. Family-friendly activities such as face painting will take place during packet pick-up and registration. Physical therapist and strength coach Dr. Michele Ionno will be on hand to offer race day advice and tips.
Sunday
6 a.m. registration and packet pick-up in Tuscora Park dining hall.
7:30 a.m. half-marathon and team Relay start.
11 a.m. half-marathon course closes.
11:30 a.m. post-race party at Hoodletown Brewing Co., 424 W. Third St., Dover.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Ainsley's Angels to descend on Run for Home in New Philadelphia
