THE VERMONTERS WHO LEAD THE BOSTON MARATHON

In 2018, Putney’s Alicia Dana won the women’s handcycle division in the Boston Marathon. It was her first time competing in that race. In April 2023, Dana, a three-time Paralympic medal winner not only did it again, but she set a new course record. She finished in 1:18:15, just seven minutes behind the winning man, Zachary Stinson, 33, and knocked nearly 17 minutes off the previous women’s record. This year, for the first time, Dana, 54, was also eligible for prize money which was newly allocated to para athletes.

“The only problem is Alicia had to catch a plane to compete in Europe at the Paracycling World Cup so I don’t think she got to receive her trophy or prize money,” said Edie Perkins. Perkins, 52, who lives in South Burlington, Vt., also medaled at the race.

The roster in the handcycle division (a recumbent bike where arms power the wheels and gears) was small — just seven women competed— but fierce. Dana, who won two medals at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, blazed ahead. The Putney native had been a competitive high school athlete before a fall from a tree. Since then, she has handcycled across America and become one of the world’s leading para athletes.

In second place for much of the race was Devann Murphy, 43, who hails from Keeseville, NY, just across Lake Champlain. In 1991 at age 11 Murphy was told she had cancer in her hip and had six weeks to live. Her family sought second and third opinions. Murphy underwent chemo and had her hip and femur removed and rebuilt. She first tried a handcyle in 2015 and then went on to medal or win the handcycle division multiple times at the Boston Marathon, New York Marathon and Vermont City Marathon. Murphy, who uses crutches, has also completed six Spartan Races.

Perkins was struck by a car in 2017 while riding her bike. In addition to multiple other injuries, her spinal cord was crushed. Before the accident, Perkins had been a competitive runner and cyclist. In 2005 she completed the New York Marathon in 2:52 and was among the top 25 finishers at the Boston Marathon.

The 2023 Boston Marathon was Perkins’ second time at the Boston race using a handcycle. “It’s much easier to do this on a handcycle than running or using a wheelchair, because you have gears,” Perkins admits. “Going downhill you can hit 40 m.ph., but going up the hills is hard.”

As the field moved into the second half of the race, Perkins overtook Murphy and crossed the finish line two minutes ahead of her for a time of 1:47.

For Perkins, the executive director of the Kelly Brush Foundation (the Burlington-based organization that helps people with spinal cord injuries resume and active life) training here in Vermont can be a challenge.

“Most of the winter when the roads are snowy, I just train alone in my basement,” she admits. Now that the snow is gone, she tries to get out. “I’d love to have people to train with. I prefer to ride with a cyclist as being so low to the ground it’s hard to see cars and to be seen,” she notes.

For Perkins, a highlight of the year is the annual Kelly Brush Ride.

The 2022 event brought 40 adaptive riders and a total of more than 900 riders to the start in Middlebury, Vt. for the September ride. It raised over $1 million, a record. The event was started by Charlotte native Kelly Brush and her family after Brush was paralyzed in a ski racing accident in 2006. “This level of fundraising puts the Kelly Brush Ride among the top charity rides in the country,” said Brush.

The funds raised by the foundation have now provided more than 1,400 grants for adaptive equipment for people in 49 states.

The 2023 Kelly Brush Ride is scheduled for September 9. The Vermont Adaptive Charity Ride, which raises funds to create opportunities and programming for people of all abilities, is June 17 in Killington.