Blog 6a: Wheelchairs

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I got the privilege to read 2 chapters from Paul Erway’s book 50 Abilities Unlimited Possibilities. Paul Erway is a man who wheeled a marathon in all 50 states. The states I read about were New Jersey, and Missouri. 


Marathon 11: Cape May, NJ. 

    Erway was very excited for this marathon because of how beautiful the view and race was. He was able to see some ocean and scenes during the actual race. One big take away was the word "open-minded" (Erway, 2017). He kept repeating this word because they were a little bit unsure about the race path and difficultly. Knowing he was not able to just get up and run, he was open-minded about he challenges he was facing and how he knew he would get through them no matter what the circumstances were. This is so motivational to anyone who may be in a wheelchair or is not able to walk. Being optimistic about any situation that they are going through is just a positive way to approach any obstacle in life. 


    Another take away I had was that he did not focus on just racing. He really took full advantage of the location and took time to admire and appreciate where he was. Some athletes and runners focus on their score or times, but he really talked about his experience and I appreciated how how he really truly enjoys this sport and what he is doing!



Marathon 48: Springfield, Missouri

    This marathon had a lot of difficulties for Erway. They had missed the originally scheduled marathon, so they did it all on their own. This to me shows true passion and dedication. He was so dedicated to do a marathon in Missouri that he did it even knowing there would be traffic, bad trails, and bad weather. He did not let any factors stop him. If it was me, I would have probably not done it. But he really showed everyone watching and reading that you can do it and it does not matter if it was scheduled or not.

Another cool aspect he included in this chapter was the value of communication. With an already crazy start to this race, Erway and his friend Grant did not communicate about their trails and ended up on two different ones. Instead of letting this bring him down, Erway decided to make it a learning opportunity to teach himself and his readers about he importance of communication. He turned a bad situation around and learned from it. It was nice to see that he is still human and makes mistakes, but also does not let the mistakes bring him down. He continued to push and be an inspiration to everyone reading. 




References 

Erway, P. (2017). 50 abilities, unlimited possibilities: Wheeling through 50 states from Jackson to the boston marathon bombing. Silver Tree Publishing. 

Erway, P. (2019). 50 abilities, unlimited possibilities: racing to the final finish line from salt lake city to the mountain of montana. Silver Tree Publishing. 

Comments

  1. Regina AcunaMay 25, 2023 at 10:54 PM

    Sarah, I think your blog provided great insight. I also admire Erway for taking on such an extraordinary challenge. It is no easy task for most athletes and being a wheelchair user adds more barriers. For instance, I can imagine how much more difficult it was for him to complete a solo marathon. Especially, I think of the increase safety risk when interacting with traffic or a bad trail.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Savanna SimpsonMay 26, 2023 at 1:08 PM

    Sarah, I love how in your post you highlighted not only Paul Erway's athletic capabilities, but also his appreciation for the beauty of his surroundings and gratitude for where life has taken him! I loved getting to read about the chapter centered around Springfield, Missouri and was so amazed that he decided to make a marathon of his own. These two chapters really showcase Paul Erway's grit and determination to excel in his chosen occupations!

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