This October was a very busy month for me. A few years ago Scott Dresden, a doctor from Wisconsin, saw me racing in Boston. Eventually he looked me up on the internet and found out who I was. He e-mailed me a few weeks later and told me he was inspired by me, and he decided to start running marathons himself.
The following fall we met just days before the New York Marathon. We all had lunch and got to know each other, and from that point on we became friends. In October 2006, he actually took a whole weekend and he guided me through two marathons in two days!
This past May I received an email from Scott asking me if I’d interested in coming to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to race in the Lakefront Marathon. He thought this would be a great way to inspire people in his own state. However, over time our plans became complicated. At first everything was going smoothly and everybody couldn’t wait for me to come out there. At first the race director was in favor of me participating in the marathon. After meeting with her board of directors her opinion changed drastically. She informed me that I would not be able to register officially, and told me she would be willing to give me a five-minuet head start…
I quickly responded to her e-mail and told her: I was coming anyway and I would do the race unofficially with my own support crew. So at 6 a.m., on October 5th my two guides and I began the 26.2-mile trek with Doctor Scott following close behind, escorting us in his truck which he fuels with used vegetable oil.
It was a little chilly but the racecourse was beautiful. To my surprise all the runners and volunteers were very supportive of us. I was feeling good until I hit the 10-mile mark. At that point my right hip froze up. For the next 16 miles I was forced to race with only one leg. At this point I knew that time wouldn’t be that great, however I was determined to finish. Nine hours and thirty-three minuets later, soaking wet and chilled to the bone we crossed the finish line, thus completing my 43rd career marathon. We all felt a sense of accomplishment.
Just 13 days later, I was at it again. On October 18th I raced in the Breakers Marathon in Newport, RI. However, this time I was in my home state and feeling more at ease. Don’t get me wrong at the beginning of my racing career, 16 years ago, Rhode Island races discouraged me as well. This year was totally different. There was a new race director and he gave me all the support and encouragement that he possibly could. I had a much better race in Newport than Milwaukee. I actually posted my best time ever on that course! My time was 8 hours 33 minutes 22 seconds and my 44th career marathon was in the bag!
Some people think I race for the attention or to get publicity for myself. I’m not saying I don’t like to be in the spotlight because almost all athletes do. However, I’d like to think of what I accomplish in my racing career, as well as in my life, as a testament of what determination and perseverance can do for a person. I hope my racing will inspire other athletes, disabled or able bodied, to never stop setting goals.
As Muhammad Ali said:, “Impossible is Nothing!”
For more information on my racing career or for speaking engagements go to Teampisano.blogspot.com
Jason Pisano
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Marathon #43 Lakefront Marathon Milwaukee WI
Guide Runner Report: Jason Pisano, Lakefront Marathon Milwaukee, WI 2008
Last weekend Jason finished marathon number 43 in Milwaukee, WI. Although they were initially excited to have us there Jason's official entry got caught up in bureaucracy but that is nothing new. Team Pisano went and ran the race anyway. Some people feel this was rude but if Jason followed all the rules he would have never even made it to one marathon.
Jason started early at 6am in the Grafton High School parking lot. He was joined by two friends, Gus and Randy. For additional protection, he was followed by another friend, Scott, in his restaurant oil powered SUV. This really sured up our safety in those first couple dark miles.
The course was beautiful. Compared to our area on the east coast, the country roads are flat and straight. You can see ahead for a mile. The roads were adjacent to awesome open fields filled with corn and wild flowers. Walking this marathon as a guide was easy because there were no downhill sprints in which we would have had to run with Jay and make sure he didn't tip. Jason however, missed those downhills which help him make up a lot of time. His old hip injury made for a slow half (4:52) but he held on and did a little better to the finish, ending with a time of 9:33. The ending miles of the race were awesome for Jason as well because there were nice smooth sidewalks to take to after all the cones were picked up by the broom wagon. The cold rain during the last 4-5 miles was a bummer because we didn't get to have as nice a view of the lake. A couple of nice EMT's on bicycles followed us in for the last couple miles. I have been with Jason for almost every marathon and I have to say this is the safest marathon Jason has done.
The people on the course were very friendly. Everyone loves to say "good morning". Many officials and runners knew Jay by name and cheered him on which was great. Two lady runners cheered Jay on and then said, "Get r done!!, Or as we like to say, put the bitch in the bucket!!" We couldn't figure out if that was a Bucket List movie reference or some kind of cow milking saying. Either way we liked it and used it for the rest of the race!
Jason finished just as the timing bridge was being lowered down. He was cheered on by the loyal supporters who spent the entire weekend with him and made this whole trip possible. Thanks to all of them for rides all around Milwaukee, a place to stay, dinners, beer, tours and great company. When a few people put some caring effort into something, it changes everything.
See you in Boston
Randy
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Pisano Inducted into New England Wheelchair Athletic Association Hall of Fame
On June 14th Jason Pisano was inducted into the New England Wheelchair Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Induction Speech Given in Honor of Jason:
We all have a song. The one you listen to before or while you train; the one that gets you pumped up beyond all others. I always think of a song when I talk about Jay and his accomplishments. His song is Eye of the Tiger. You know….dun,…dun dun dun…(a show of hands…how many of you have listened to that song to get psyched up?). Why is it that we listen to these songs? We hear them and just know-“yeah that’s a great one”. It could be that those special songs take our minds off the pain and struggle and provide a momentary window into the spirit, the heart of what we are really doing and why we are here.
I believe that people like Jason Pisano do the same thing for us. They allow us to see the full circle of hope, struggle, pain, victory and accomplishment. There is a certain feeling we have when we see champions and we know that something within the spirit of what they are doing is what we are all searching for.
As many of you know, Jason was born with cerebral palsy. Doctors were not even sure if his brain would allow him to learn to seak, but he did. All physical momement and coordination was difficult for Jason, but difficuldt tidn’t stop him. Above all things, Jason knew how to push. He can use his left lig and foot pretty well, and he uses it to push. As a boy he used it to push a hockey stick around, a boxing glove tied to his foot, a bean bag into a simple target. Then it was pushing an old wheelchair through obstacle courses around the court and around the track. Eventually he started pushing his chair backwards, with his left leg, through 3 mile road races. In track and field events he continued to excel at the local, national and international level, winning several national honors and two World Championships. When road races were not enough, he decided to raise enough money for a fancy three wheeled racing chair (fitted with the seat backwards so he could push) and attempt a marathon. That’s 26.2 miles backwards with one foot. To date Jason has completed 42 marathons. I forgot to mention that at the same time Jason was pushing himself through college at UConn. He was staying up late into the nights working on the computer, typing away with his left toe, pushing the keys one at a time.
These are all things that Jim Kempf talked to me about when he explained how he nominated Jason for the Hall of Fame. However, his voice lit up even more when he spoke of Jasons courage. He talked about the first time he met Jason on the courts of a wheelchair soccer game. Looking at Jason he said he “felt bad for him” and “hoped he didn’t hurt him”. At sometime during the game two inevitable match up occurred. Solid strong Jim vs. little scrappy Jason. In a struggle for position, Jason and Jim rammed into each other and Jim ended up on the floor, amazed at the power and will of “this little kid.”
I can tell you from spending years with Jason at his home in Rhode Island…his walls are covered with trophies, medals, newspaper articles, an Olympic Torch he carried, letters from fans….but he never talks about this stuff. The conversation always reverts to things like “remember the race I did with second degree burns on my leg?, …how about those marathons where they told us we weren’t allowed to be part of and that we’d be arrested?...but we did it anyway, starting at 1:00 am and finishing unofficially…no glory, no credit no medals.
It is said that you should consider your worst loss better than any of your greatest victories. Jason understands this---that these are the times and experiences that build courage and character, and it is how you act during these times that bear witness to the heart and spirit of a true champion.
And do you know why else I admire Jason Pisano??? Because he goes to see his Grandmother every day. Many see him as a tough and self centered thick skinned competitor but a small thing like this speaks volumes of truth. I know he appreciates all who have supported him throughout his journey.
Inducting an athlete like Jason Pisano into the Hall of Fame reminds us of the spirit, heart and courage that we all search for. It reminds us of the value of what we are doing and that we are all a part of it. Our top athletes, our aides, our parents, coaches, our best friends, our oldest enemies on the track, even the coaches and officals that we’ve had conflict with…all are invaluable. How do I know this? I know this because in last fall’s New York Marathon, at mile 10 (?) three competitors caught up to each other. (because its his day I’ll point out that Jason dug deep and took off). What was interesting about these three is that they all were pushing with their legs, backwards, just like Jason. (and I caught this on video) What are the chances? What are the chances that this would happen. I’ll tell you what, I think the chances are pretty good. With inspiration from champions like Jason and the efforts of all the people I see here…I think the chances are very good.
The challenges and struggle for Jason continue to circle around. Just the other day he was told he should not enter a marathon or it was “not recommended” due to traffic or start time or classification or whatever excuses they made up. I look forward to seeing him rise to this challengeand I’m honored to be his friend and guide runner.
In closing I encourage Hall of Famers, athletes, coaches, helpers, family and friends to hold onto your song, listen to it, and go out tomorrow and push as hard as you can.
Jason now has a few words to say….
Hello fellow athletes, friend’s families, and officials,
I’m truly humbled by the honor the NEWAA has bestowed on me this evening. Being inducted to the hall of fame is the ultimate award for any athlete, able-bodied or disabled, and I’m grateful that this committee feels my athletic achievements deem me worthy of this tremendous honor.
To be honest with all of you I’m not sitting up here addresses you because I have always been a gifted athlete. Actually nothing could be further from the truth. When I started competing in wheelchair sports, at the ripe age of 8-years-old, I was a class 1 competing in a power chair. I remember that I couldn’t toss the beanbag more than a few feet with my foot or hold the directional stick straight enough to medal in any event at regionals. I found this frustrating at first but with a lot of practice I began to dominate many of the class 1 events. This is when I decided to get in a manual wheelchair and move up to a class 2 lower. Once again for the first few years competing as a class 2 lower I placed last in most events, but I kept at it and a few years later I began to capture regional and national titles. The greatest moment in my track & field career came in 2005 at the CP World Games in New London, Conn, when I captured two world titles in the distant kick and thrust kick for the USA. Once again, I accomplished this through hard work and believing in myself.
My marathon career began the same way that my track career started. Almost nobody gave me a chance at finishing 1 marathon in 1994. On October 5th, I will be attempting to complete my 43rd consecutive career marathon. The theme of my speech tonight is, anything is possible if you give it your all and believe in yourself.
In closing I’d like to thank my friends and family who have supported me in all my endeavors, my coach Paul Tetrault for training me, John Gallo who introduced me to weight training, Randy Spellman for being my guide through 39 of my 42 marathons, and Ray Burdick, my stepfather for be my equipment manager/ and all the other hats he wears for me, and last but not least my two biggest fans my mom Michelle Burrdick and my grandma Barbara Pisano! Without all of you I would not be up here today. Thank you everyone!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Boston-The good
2008 Boston Marathon For Ella and Ronald McDonald House
For the past 15 years, I have been competing in marathons. I began in this endurance sport in the fall of 1994 in the Ocean State Marathon. This race began at Narragansett Beach and ended at Warwick Veterans High School. At the time hardly anyone gave me a chance of finishing the 26.2-mile course, but 12 hours later I crossed the finish line, thus my marathon career began.
Over the next 14 years I raced in 40 marathons across the United States, however each year I looked forward to one marathon in general: the Boston Marathon. This is known worldwide as the most challenging endurance race anywhere. Because of the strict qualifying times and the way I have to race because of my disability (propelling my racing chair backwards with my legs), I had to fight my way to be an official entry. After several years of racing this marathon unofficially I was granted the right to officially race the Boston Marathon. I was thrilled and I look forward to heading up to Beantown every year.
This year I felt as prepared as any other year in the past. I had a couple of injuries but I recovered from all of them several weeks before the race. This was also my second year racing for the Providence Ronald McDonald House Running Club (PRMHRC). Being a part of this unique club motivates me to get out there and train even harder than before.
On Monday April 21st I headed up to Hopkinton, Massachusetts to compete in my 14th consecutive Boston and my 41st career marathon to date. I couldn’t have asked for better weather. Temperatures were in the high 50’s to low 60’s all day. Both the New York and the Boston Marathons are not only races, they are major sporting events. This is apparent as soon as you arrive on the scene.
As I warmed up I felt very well and I couldn’t wait to get underway. At 9 o’clock when I started my 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to the heart of Boston I could feel the excitement in the air. This year my guide runners, Randy and Q, accompanied me.
The first two miles of this marathon is all down hill so I get a good start but it is difficult to get my legs warmed up. I enjoy this race because there are people watching everywhere along the course. Sometimes the people cheering leave your ears ringing. For Massachusetts this race and day is one to party and have fun. As the race went on I became aware I was not going to set any personal records, but this is one year I will remember because of all the people that followed me along the course. My guide Randy had made a shirt with writing on it that said “Go Jason”. I must have heard my name called a million times that day.
Pushing my way up and down the hills I took time to look at some of the spectators. I saw people of all ages, business people, families, children and a few disabled individuals. Unless you compete in one of these endurance races you really can’t imagine how much energy you can draw from the crowd. I especially enjoy hearing the small children yelling “Go Jason Go”. As I reached heartbreak hill at mile 18, a woman drove up with her son in the car. She got out of her car and approached us and asked if her son could meet me. We took a short break and talked to him and gave him one of my trademark Team Pisano rubber bracelets, and continued on our way. As we traveled on to Boston we met many more special people. Everyone is so encouraging on marathon Monday. I started hearing “You’re almost there” with about two miles to go and I think I heard those same words about five feet before I crossed the finish line.
Monday was not a banner day in my marathon career, however it was a very rewarding day in my life. I hope as I make my way to my ultimate goal of 51 marathons I can continue to inspire people of all ages and walks of life and show them that nothing is impossible.
-Jason Pisano
For the past 15 years, I have been competing in marathons. I began in this endurance sport in the fall of 1994 in the Ocean State Marathon. This race began at Narragansett Beach and ended at Warwick Veterans High School. At the time hardly anyone gave me a chance of finishing the 26.2-mile course, but 12 hours later I crossed the finish line, thus my marathon career began.
Over the next 14 years I raced in 40 marathons across the United States, however each year I looked forward to one marathon in general: the Boston Marathon. This is known worldwide as the most challenging endurance race anywhere. Because of the strict qualifying times and the way I have to race because of my disability (propelling my racing chair backwards with my legs), I had to fight my way to be an official entry. After several years of racing this marathon unofficially I was granted the right to officially race the Boston Marathon. I was thrilled and I look forward to heading up to Beantown every year.
This year I felt as prepared as any other year in the past. I had a couple of injuries but I recovered from all of them several weeks before the race. This was also my second year racing for the Providence Ronald McDonald House Running Club (PRMHRC). Being a part of this unique club motivates me to get out there and train even harder than before.
On Monday April 21st I headed up to Hopkinton, Massachusetts to compete in my 14th consecutive Boston and my 41st career marathon to date. I couldn’t have asked for better weather. Temperatures were in the high 50’s to low 60’s all day. Both the New York and the Boston Marathons are not only races, they are major sporting events. This is apparent as soon as you arrive on the scene.
As I warmed up I felt very well and I couldn’t wait to get underway. At 9 o’clock when I started my 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to the heart of Boston I could feel the excitement in the air. This year my guide runners, Randy and Q, accompanied me.
The first two miles of this marathon is all down hill so I get a good start but it is difficult to get my legs warmed up. I enjoy this race because there are people watching everywhere along the course. Sometimes the people cheering leave your ears ringing. For Massachusetts this race and day is one to party and have fun. As the race went on I became aware I was not going to set any personal records, but this is one year I will remember because of all the people that followed me along the course. My guide Randy had made a shirt with writing on it that said “Go Jason”. I must have heard my name called a million times that day.
Pushing my way up and down the hills I took time to look at some of the spectators. I saw people of all ages, business people, families, children and a few disabled individuals. Unless you compete in one of these endurance races you really can’t imagine how much energy you can draw from the crowd. I especially enjoy hearing the small children yelling “Go Jason Go”. As I reached heartbreak hill at mile 18, a woman drove up with her son in the car. She got out of her car and approached us and asked if her son could meet me. We took a short break and talked to him and gave him one of my trademark Team Pisano rubber bracelets, and continued on our way. As we traveled on to Boston we met many more special people. Everyone is so encouraging on marathon Monday. I started hearing “You’re almost there” with about two miles to go and I think I heard those same words about five feet before I crossed the finish line.
Monday was not a banner day in my marathon career, however it was a very rewarding day in my life. I hope as I make my way to my ultimate goal of 51 marathons I can continue to inspire people of all ages and walks of life and show them that nothing is impossible.
-Jason Pisano
Boston-The Not so Good
Jason Recently wrote the the BAA:
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Jason Pisano. I am a 36-year-old male from West Warwick, RI, and I have Cerebral Palsy. For the past 14 years I've competed in you marathon ( 6 years unofficially & 8 in your Mobility Impaired division) . The first 4 years in your MI division were very good but the last 2 have been terrible ever since you changed all the starting times it has left me and many other of the athletes out on the course to fear for ourselves with traffic open, limited or no fluids, no energy gel, and having to race on the sidewalks! This no way to treat us or any of your other athletes! Not to mention you do all this to us and then we see the race director run the entire course with a full police escort after the entire race is over! Maybe he thinks his race and his life is more important than ours but I don't! I can't see why the NYC Marathon (a marathon twice the size and with like four times as many disabled! racers) can treat all there athletes so much better while Boston does such a poor job. Yesterday I raced for a charity and I still had to pay the full entry fee but did not receive any of the services I feel I deserved! I will be waiting for a timely response to this email or I will be contacting a lawyer and the media.
Respectfully,
Jason Pisano
Frelance Journalist
The Guide Q Commented:
It makes you wonder what the purpose of the Boston Marathon is.
I understand that they want to limit the impact of the marathon on the towns along the route and also maintain their high qualification standards by keeping the race as short as possible, but the cost may be the very founding spirit of the marathon.
Legend says the when Pheidippides burst into the senate after his journey from Marathon to Athens, he exclaimed "Νενικήκαμεν", which translates to "We have won".
"We have won", not "I have won". We.
There are maybe a handful of people of the many thousands that run a marathon with hopes of the fastest time, and so it must follow that the winning is - not who comes in first, but something all together different.
No light, no fanfare, no cheering, no banner awaited Pheidppides on that first of marathons. And so it is with Jason Pisano.
What is your message when you burst throguh the doors of the senate? The message that has driven you the long hard journey, step by step, driven through pain and suffering with only your will to keep you going?
I am a purist, an idealist, so I remain unmoved by the fanfare, the pomp and circumstance, the false and easy message of "I have won". It must be hard for people who carry that message to see Jason, so caught up in the "I", they see that they have no excuse for their whining, their complaining, or even perhaps they see their accomplishments are not so great as they believed them to be.
What they should see is that, yes, they don't have an excuse for whining and complaining. That what they've done is not all that it could be, that there are no limits.
That is the message of Pheidippides, of the Marathon, of Jason Pisano:
"Νενικήκαμεν", WE have won.
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Jason Pisano. I am a 36-year-old male from West Warwick, RI, and I have Cerebral Palsy. For the past 14 years I've competed in you marathon ( 6 years unofficially & 8 in your Mobility Impaired division) . The first 4 years in your MI division were very good but the last 2 have been terrible ever since you changed all the starting times it has left me and many other of the athletes out on the course to fear for ourselves with traffic open, limited or no fluids, no energy gel, and having to race on the sidewalks! This no way to treat us or any of your other athletes! Not to mention you do all this to us and then we see the race director run the entire course with a full police escort after the entire race is over! Maybe he thinks his race and his life is more important than ours but I don't! I can't see why the NYC Marathon (a marathon twice the size and with like four times as many disabled! racers) can treat all there athletes so much better while Boston does such a poor job. Yesterday I raced for a charity and I still had to pay the full entry fee but did not receive any of the services I feel I deserved! I will be waiting for a timely response to this email or I will be contacting a lawyer and the media.
Respectfully,
Jason Pisano
Frelance Journalist
The Guide Q Commented:
It makes you wonder what the purpose of the Boston Marathon is.
I understand that they want to limit the impact of the marathon on the towns along the route and also maintain their high qualification standards by keeping the race as short as possible, but the cost may be the very founding spirit of the marathon.
Legend says the when Pheidippides burst into the senate after his journey from Marathon to Athens, he exclaimed "Νενικήκαμεν", which translates to "We have won".
"We have won", not "I have won". We.
There are maybe a handful of people of the many thousands that run a marathon with hopes of the fastest time, and so it must follow that the winning is - not who comes in first, but something all together different.
No light, no fanfare, no cheering, no banner awaited Pheidppides on that first of marathons. And so it is with Jason Pisano.
What is your message when you burst throguh the doors of the senate? The message that has driven you the long hard journey, step by step, driven through pain and suffering with only your will to keep you going?
I am a purist, an idealist, so I remain unmoved by the fanfare, the pomp and circumstance, the false and easy message of "I have won". It must be hard for people who carry that message to see Jason, so caught up in the "I", they see that they have no excuse for their whining, their complaining, or even perhaps they see their accomplishments are not so great as they believed them to be.
What they should see is that, yes, they don't have an excuse for whining and complaining. That what they've done is not all that it could be, that there are no limits.
That is the message of Pheidippides, of the Marathon, of Jason Pisano:
"Νενικήκαμεν", WE have won.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Team Pisano Wear
Team member Q showed me how to create custom Pisano wear or items. I really don't know much about Zazzle yet so if you have suggestions or requests let me know.
http://www.zazzle.com/teampisano/products
Randy
http://www.zazzle.com/teampisano/products
Randy
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