Double Amputee Marathoner Shows Meaning Of 'Endure' In Chicago

By Laura Duffy of DyeStat

After shooting photos of the elite men and women at last Sunday's Bank of America Chicago Marathon, I went searching for a hero.

I was waiting to see if I could spot Joan Benoit Samuelson, knowing that the legendary runner and 1984 Olympic champion might finish around the three-hour mark.

Instead, my camera lens captured another hero.  

First, I took notice of a man running toward me wearing a shower cap. It had been raining all morning and I thought this shot might be hilarious.

I snapped a few photos when two new runners came into focus. One had two prosthetic legs.

In contrast to Mr. Shower Cap, this man’s face revealed unrelenting determination – and severe pain. He reached out his right arm and took the hand of the runner next to him. I had no idea if the other runner was someone that he knew.

I saw it as a moment of pure, unspoken help and support. It was a simple gesture and a hand to hold onto. It seemed even more than that. It looked like a lifeline. I snapped a few photos and then cheered as loud as I could, hoping this man could make it up one final hill before crossing the finish line.

When I came home and began uploading photos to DyeStat, I singled out a couple of my favorites to share on social media. Pretty quickly, my photo of the double (bilateral) amputee runner started to collect retweets and direct messages. I got a couple of texts. By the end of day I had 150 new followers.

CHICAGO MARATHON PHOTOS by Laura Duffy - ELITES | NON-ELITES

The man was Brian Reynolds, a 30-year-old from New Jersey. He saw my photo and sent me a message.

Over the few days following the race, I learned his story.

Brian is a double amputee from the knee down. He was born with an autoimmune disease and contracted a strain of meningitis when he was 4. That’s when he lost both of his legs. His journey into running started with his first attempt at a full marathon in 2014.

That was the year Brian got his first “racing legs.” It was two weeks prior to a marathon, and he had never run more than five miles at a time.

Still, Brian ran the full marathon distance in 4 hours, 30 minutes. He said he did it to check off a bucket-list item.

In 2016, Brian trained for two and a half months and ran the Philadelphia Half Marathon. And then, in January of 2017 he picked up the pace and ran 3:27 at the Houston Marathon. He had still never done more than 40 miles per week.

After that, things got a bit more serious.

He wanted to try and become the first double amputee to run a sub-3 hour marathon.

“So, I hired a coach,” Brian told me.

A year ago, Brian ran a new personal best 3:06:38 at the Chicago Marathon. And then in April, despite an emergency gallbladder surgery just 23 days beforehand, Brian ran 3:03:35 at the London Marathon.

London was hot and humid. Para World Championship rules forbid drafting off other runners, or the use of a GPS watch. So he ran that race alone – the amputees took off an hour before the other waves started -- and without knowing his pace.

Coming into Chicago last weekend, there was a lot of momentum going Brian’s way in his effort to break three hours.

Brian had three pace-setters at the start of the race: Mike Wardian, Jim Akita and Phil Micek.

Micek dropped out with a medical issue near Mile 19.

Then, as Brian, Mike and Jim approached Mile 22, the three of them took a right turn.

Brian caught lip of a pothole and lost his balance. His right leg slipped and his prosthetic partially pulled away from his leg. He instinctively grabbed for the prosthetic with his right hand and tried to grab his aide on the left, but his hand just slid down the fabric of his shirt.

Brian crashed to pavement and hit his head. 

“I was seeing stars,” he said. “It was just black. That was the first time I ever thought of quitting. I knew we were on pace for about a 2:55 finish, so I took a few minutes to get up. Once I got up we started walking. I told Mike I wasn’t going to finish without some water. We knew a water station was only about a quarter of a mile away, so Mike left to find me some water.

“I started walking and then went to something that resembled a run. When I needed to, I walked about 30 seconds to a minute and then would start running again. I held on to Jim a lot the last few miles.”

They never saw Mike again. He was lost in the sea of humanity.

Brian and Jim pushed on together. When they approached me by the side of the road and I snapped their picture, there was 800 meters left in the 26.2-mile race.

With the finish line in sight, Jim let go of Brian’s hand, and said to him: “You are going to finish this by yourself.”

Brian finished, after suffering a concussion, in 3:03:22.

That hand that reached out Brian belonged to Jim Akita, the men’s track and cross country coach at Elmhurst College.

“I was introduced to Brian through my association with Fleet Feet Sports and Edge Athlete Lounge in Chicago,” Akita said. “They were looking for pacers and I was not planning on running Chicago this year since I am focusing on a December marathon. Once they told me about Brian and what he was trying to do, I immediately followed up, as I wanted to be a part of his journey.

“When Brian fell, I just felt crushed. It happened so fast and I really didn’t know how to react at first, other than to make sure he was OK. I knew we had a few minutes to play with, so (with) the other pacer, Mike Wardian, we took our time helping Brian back up. I knew it was a hard fall and to happen at 22 miles in … I thought it was over.”

The last 4.2 miles were grueling. Brian was not only dazed, he was beginning to cramp more and had to take a break and walk.

After Wardian left to find fluids, Akita knew it was his responsibility to see Brian over the finish line.

“He battled on and we clicked off each mile, and when I saw Mile 25, I knew he had it. The last mile he was dizzy, I could tell, and all I did was support him so that he didn’t fall over. Once we hit 26, he made that final turn, picked his head up, and I let him enjoy the moment. He made it.”

Wardian left this week to travel to Poland, where he plans to run in a 150-kilometer race.

“Having set world records myself, I love doing anything I can to be of assistance for others and the opportunity fit my schedule so I said ‘sure,’” Wardian told me. “I really enjoyed pacing Brian. He was strong and determined and I enjoy seeing people push themselves and battle. The pacing went really well but we did let Brian down when he fell. I thought I was close enough (to prevent the fall) and looking back, I probably should have insisted that he use my arm for the corner as it was wet, but we didn’t.”

Akita offered his praise.

“Brian is a champion. Champions don’t quit and he didn’t. A fall like that would have humbled many people, but he kept grinding it out and earned that personal best. I was so relieved and so proud to have been part of that day. As a college cross country and track coach, I always tell my student-athletes to never quit. It’s not always about winning races or breaking records, it’s about the experience you have and to give it your all. Brian is a perfect example of that.”

Brian may not have reached his goal that day. The spill and the knock on the head were too much to overcome. Marathons are hard even without unforeseen traumas. (Joan Benoit Samuelson, who I never saw, finished in 3:12:13).

When I spoke to Brian this week, I asked him: “When is your next attempt at this record?”

He doesn’t know just yet. He and his coach will sit down and talk about it soon.

One day, Brian is probably going to get that record. And all of the obstacles and challenges that were overcome before he gets there – will make the final story even sweeter.  

You can follow Brian Reynolds and all his record-breaking journey on Instagram @brianreynoldsrunner.

Also, you can follow Mike Wardian at @mikewardian.

Laura Duffy is P.E. teacher at Prospect Elementary School in Clarendon Hills, Ill. She moonlights as a photographer for DyeStat.com. You can follow her on Instagram @Duffy.Lens.