My Team Triumph continues to grow

Sometimes you just have a hunch. For Debbie Leoni, the hunch in 2013 was that the running community in Cape Girardeau would embrace My Team Triumph, an organization that helps "disabled individuals by pushing special race chairs," according to a recent Southeast Missourian article.

That hunch was a good one, and the organization continues to grow. It started out as Leoni approaching the families of two individuals with disabilities about the idea of becoming a "captain" and being paired up with a runner and chair to complete a race. Now, there are 25 "captains," and more than 100 "angels" pushing them across the finish line.

One of the two original captains, Brandon McArthur, who was diagnosed with a degenerative disease called ataxia-telangiectasia, died from liver cancer in September, according to Leoni.

At the group's latest outing on New Year's Day, McArthur's memory was honored with a new chair for the organization. It was yellow and included fat wheels, since it was paying homage to one of McArthur's off-road vehicles he called "the short bus." On Jan. 1, it ran the race empty except for a blanket made from McArthur's race shirts. It was surely an emotional day for those who knew McArthur.

That chair, which cost more than $3,000, brought the total to 11. Leoni was surprised by how quick the funds for the chair were raised. "First, I put the word out to our angels and we got a little bit there," she said, adding that the rest came from anonymous donors. "We have had amazing support from this community. ... We've never had an event where we didn't have an angel."

My Team Triumph's next event is the City 2 City race the first week of May.

"We're always excited to have more people participate with us in any capacity," she said. "They don't have to do it fast. ... Start together, run together, finish together."