Run Your Own Race

Run Your Own Race!

The True Story of a Special Olympics Athlete

BY JACK ELKAN and LINDA GYRSTING ELKAN ILLUSTRATED BY DAVID PERRY

Text copyright © 2023 by Linda Gyrsting Elkan.

Illustrations copyright © 2023 by David Perry.

All rights in all languages, nations and media reserved in whole and part, including excerpts, screen and animation rights, toys, etc.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission of the publisher.

For information regarding permissions, write to Linda Gyrsting Elkan, Marlow Hill Press, marlowhillpress@gmail.com or David Perry, davidperrycorp@gmail.com Library of Congress Control Number: 2023911074 ISBN 979-8-9858503-2-1 Printed in the United States of America

Run Your Own Race!

The True Story of a Special Olympics Athlete

BY JACK ELKAN and LINDA GYRSTING ELKAN ILLUSTRATED BY DAVID PERRY

Marlow Hill Press

Marlow, New Hampshire

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“Run Your Own Race” has been endorsed by Special Olympics New Hampshire.

All profits from this book will benefit the athletes Special Olympics New Hampshire serves.

Dedicated to Coach Dan Gruber. J.E. & L.G.E. And to Chase Stewart Perry. D.P.

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“Time out!” shouted Coach Dan. The score was tied, five to five. We were playing soccer against Winnesquam, and I was on the Keene High School Unified Soccer Team.

We all gathered around the coach. Angie held Patrick’s hand. Dillan held Stephanie’s hand. Aidan, my partner, walked beside me. I don’t need to hold hands. I know where to go. Plus, I don’t have any hands.

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Coach Dan held out his arms wide and motioned us to come in closer.

His face had a serious look, and his voice was quiet and deep. “Okay, team. I know you’ve played hard. But there’s a tie now. We’re going into sudden death overtime.”

We were all a little worried about what that meant.

Patrick spoke up. “Does…does anybody die?”

Coach Dan waved his hands and laughed. “No. Nobody dies. We just have to keep playing until somebody scores a goal. And then that team wins.”

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Coach Dan looked right at me. His face was serious again. “Jack, what about it? Can you get another goal for us? No pressure, buddy.” Then he smiled at me. I had already scored all five goals for our team. “Really, just go out there and run and do your best.”

Running. That is what I do best. School is hard for me. My brain is a little different. And I was born with no hands. But you don’t need hands to run fast. And I run fast.

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Aidan and I took our places. Angie guided Patrick by the hand. And Dillan showed Stephanie where to stand. In Unified Soccer, students with disabilities play alongside high school student helpers. We have a lot of fun, and I have friends all over the school now.

My teammates and my parents cheered from the sidelines. I heard the coach on the other team yell, “Keep it away from Number One!” That’s me! I wear a uniform with the number one on it. Coach Dan let me pick that number. My dad heard the coach too. He loves to tell how the coach kept yelling, “Keep it away from Number One!” My dad is proud of me.

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Aidan passed me the ball and I raced off toward the goal. I ran as fast as I could, dribbling the ball just ahead of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a player from the other team reach her foot over to steal the ball.

Quickly I kicked it away and kept running. Then another player came around from the other side. He stuck his foot out and stole the ball away from me just as I was about to kick it into the goal. He raced off with the ball toward our goal. I was frustrated. But I was determined to get it back.

I turned around as the other team ran the ball to our goal. They kicked. They missed.

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Okay, I said to myself. Now it’s time to run. I raced to the middle of the field. Aidan kicked me the ball. I got it and then I ran again. My lungs were pounding. I raced toward the goal. I pretended to go right, but instead I went left. I kicked the ball at the goal.

Score! We won the game, six to five!

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“How would you like to go to the Special Olympics, Jack?” Coach Dan said to me as we were walking to the parking lot after the game.

“I guess so.” I said. I didn’t really know what that was. I don’t always like new things.

Coach Dan could tell I was nervous. “Don’t worry, Jack. I’m going too.

And Aidan. We’ll have a great time.”

“Will we play soccer?” I asked.

“No. I’m nominating you for the Track Team. You’ll be running.”

Running. That’s what I do best. “Okay,” I said.

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Because of Covid, we couldn’t practice in person. We had meetings on the computer.

“I decided I don’t want to do it,” I said to my mom.

“Well, it’s your decision. But I don’t want you to quit until you’ve had at least one practice in person. You can’t tell what the Special Olympics will be like from computer meetings.”

My mom was probably right. She was always encouraging me to try new things even when they were scary. I remembered back to when I didn’t want to take swimming lessons. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to swim, and I was afraid the other kids would stare at me and make fun of me. But I also wanted to go to the beach and be allowed to go out deep in the water. So I went to the swimming lesson. I couldn’t swim like the others since I had no hands, but I found a way to kick my feet and keep my head above the water.

And now I love swimming in the ocean. Maybe I needed to give Special Olympics a try too.

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I learned that the Special Olympics USA Games were going to be played in Orlando, Florida, in June 2022. My parents thought that was exciting. But I don’t like to fly. It makes me nervous to be up so high. My parents said they could get me some medicine to help me not be nervous. I said I would think about it.

It was time for another meeting on the computer. They were all talking about Florida, but it was boring. I leaned away from the camera and whispered to my mom. “I don’t want to go.”

She nodded her head and whispered back, “I understand, but remember, we’re not deciding yet.”

Then I heard someone ask which celebrities would be there. I got excited. I didn’t know there would be celebrities. Whoopi Goldberg and Brie Larson were going to be there. And Paul Donald Wight — he’s a professional wrestler. I thought that was cool.

I looked over at my mom. “I’m going,” I whispered.

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“Wow! This is fancy!” I said, looking around my room at the Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire. There were two twin beds and two lamps with white lamp shades and a picture on the wall of a ski mountain. There was even a little refrigerator. Aidan and I were roommates for a training weekend for the whole New Hampshire team. I was nervous to be away from my parents. I had been to camp once by myself and I had a terrible time. But this time I had Aidan with me. I knew he would be there for me if I needed help and to be my friend. And Coach Dan was there too.

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We started practicing. I learned to run a 100 meter race. I learned to run a relay race. In a relay race, there are four runners. Each one runs a part of the race and passes a baton to the next runner. Even though I don’t have hands to grab the baton, Aidan would reach out and stick it under my armpit and then I would press it against my side. And since I ran last, I didn’t have to pass it to anyone else. I may not do things like other people because I have no hands, but I always find a way to do things my own way.

I also learned how to do a running long jump. That’s where you run as fast as you can up to a sand pit and then jump as far as you can. It was a busy weekend. We had pizza and I made a lot of friends.

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I was still nervous about flying. One day my mom got a phone call.

“Okay, Jack,” she said when she got off the phone. “That was the president of the Special Olympics New Hampshire Team. She knows you are nervous about flying, and you have a choice. You can take an army transport plane.” Mom showed me a picture of one on her computer.

“Or a regular commercial plane, or a private jet.”

I smiled. “Private jet.” This was going to be fun, I decided.

I worked hard at training practices. I was nervous about flying and about being away from home, but I really wanted to win a medal at the Special Olympics.

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The day finally came. As we pulled out of the driveway, we saw a poster hanging at the end of our neighbor’s driveway. It said, “GO JACK.” Then at the bottom of the hill there was another one that said, “Run Your Own Race” with a helium balloon tied to it. There must have been about twenty signs along the road as we drove through our town of Marlow, New Hampshire. The people in my town are really friendly. They like me a lot.

I even got to be a judge in the apple pie contest at the town fair one summer. When we passed the last sign, I turned to my mom and said, “I feel so loved.”

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When my parents dropped me off at the airport, I was scared. They would fly down the next day to watch me compete, but I would have to fly without them. I took the medicine and I was less nervous, but I was very sleepy. Suddenly, we were in Florida. The door to our plane opened and there was Peyton Manning. He said, “You must be Jack,” and gave me a fist bump. He made me feel like I was the celebrity.

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We stayed in Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort. I swam in a pool outside at night. I drank lots of water. It was hot. We also went to Disney World, but it was too crowded.

One night they closed Animal Kingdom to the public and opened it just for all the Special Olympics athletes and their families. My parents came and we had dinner for free. Then we waited in a long line.

We rode the Kali River Rapids and got soaking wet. After that I was tired and ready to go back to my room.

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The time to race finally arrived. I couldn’t see my parents in the crowd, but I knew they were there. My best event is the 100 meter race. I wanted to win a medal so bad. The sun was hot. There was a woman called a starter who had a special gun with no bullets. We had practiced already so we all knew we were supposed to start running when she fired the gun.

We lined up at the starting line. The starter fired her gun. And then we ran. I ran so hard I thought my lungs would explode.

But I didn’t win. I came in sixth place. My face was red and I wanted to cry. But everybody kept saying, “It’s okay, Jack.” I remembered the athlete’s oath we took at the beginning of the races.

Let me win But if I cannot win Let me be brave in the attempt.

It was hard to be brave. But then Aidan put his arm around my shoulder and said, “Come on, Jack. Tomorrow’s another day.” It was easier to be brave with Aidan beside me.

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The next day I did the long jump. A coach I never met before gave me some advice to push hard with the last step and not to worry which leg it was.

It worked. I jumped so far I got third place. At least that’s what I thought. Then Coach Dan came up to me.

“Do I get a bronze medal?” I asked him.

“No, Jack,” he said, patting me on the back. “You came in second!

You get a silver medal!”

The next day I ran the relay with my team. I ran the last 400 meters of the race. When it was my turn, I got the baton and ran as fast as I could.

We came in second place. Another silver medal!

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Finally, the day came for us to get our medals. There was a lot of waiting around back stage, and then suddenly I was standing up in front of the cheering crowd. My parents were in the front row, clapping and waving. I heard the announcer say my name for getting second place in the long jump. And then a man put a ribbon around my neck with a big silver medal on it. Everyone cheered. It made me feel proud of myself. I waited back stage again, and then I got another silver medal for the relay race. I was so happy.

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Then Coach Dan said there was one more surprise. The whole team went back to the award stage one more time. After they added up points for all the different Unified Track events, our New Hampshire Unified Track Team had come in second in the whole country. We all got a silver medal. I was amazed. Three silver medals for me!

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Coach Dan woke us up early for the flight home. “Did you take the medicine for the plane ride, Jack?”

“No, Coach. I’m not taking it. I don’t need it.”

I flew back on the private jet, and my parents flew back on a regular plane.

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My parents picked me up at the airport and we drove home. I wondered if there would be signs again. But when we got to Marlow, there was Officer Kevin in his police cruiser. He pulled out in front of us.

He put on the lights and the siren and gave me a police escort. Just for me!

I couldn’t believe it.

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We pulled into Aaron’s Ice Cream Shop and there were lots of people and all the signs. I got free ice cream. Everybody wanted to see my medals. I felt like a hero. And that’s what my mom says I am.

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About the Authors Jack Elkan was born on November 12, 2004, but December 16, 2008 was the day his life changed. Until then he had lived in three different orphanages in Latvia, a country in Eastern Europe. One orphanage was for babies. One orphanage was for different children — those who couldn’t walk or talk or play. Children didn’t usually get adopted from there. But then they moved him to another orphanage for kids who were allowed to visit the United States for a month and maybe find a family. His name was Igors.

Forty children left orphanages in Latvia to travel to the United States.

He flew to Washington, D.C. and right into the arms of a new mom and a nice big family. He was four years old. They didn’t care that he was born without arms. They knew right away they wanted to adopt him.

He had two new parents, two brothers and a sister. And a new name — Jack.

He had to do chores just like they did. And he had to go to school. But school was hard. My mom tried to teach him to read. Finally she realized that he needed help.

When he first arrived in the U.S., I fell a lot. My mom thought that was because I didn’t get to run around much in the orphanages. After a few years of running and playing in my new home, I discovered I was a fast runner. I could kick a ball right between two cones. So my parents signed me up to play soccer.

I loved the uniform. And the coach was my friend. On the day of the first game, I was so nervous. I stood in the middle of the field with all the kids running and all the parents yelling. But I just froze. I couldn’t remember what to do.

As I got bigger, sometimes other things were hard. I got upset sometimes and scared. My parents took me to doctors and therapists. They took me for tests and tried to understand how they could help me. One doctor said that my brain was different. Another one said maybe my birth mother drank alcohol when I was in her tummy. I didn’t like all those doctors. I liked to stay at home with my mom and play cars. I love cars. I collect Hot Wheels and I like to race them.

When I was twelve, my parents decided to move to New England. They visited schools in Vermont and New Hampshire before they picked a house. They chose the schools in Keene, New Hampshire. They said they loved the high school there for three reasons. One — they had great programs for kids who didn’t want to go to college, like firefighter and auto mechanic classes. Two — they had great special education. And Three — they had Unified Sports.

Playing Unified Sports at my school has helped me become a better athlete and a better friend. And because of Unified Sports, I got to compete in the Special Olympics USA Games in 2022.

Thanks for reading my book!

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Linda Gyrsting Elkan is on her third career. She practiced law for ten years in Washington, D.C. and then retired to homeschool her four children. When the family moved to New Hampshire, she turned her attention to her writing, a long postponed passion. Besides helping Jack transition to adulthood, Linda is also raising eight apple trees, two peach trees, and four chickens on a hill in New Hampshire.

Acknowledgments She is grateful to the Keene High School coaches and staff for helping Jack. Thank you to the Special Olympics program for helping athletes like Jack to develop their natural abilities and find a way to shine. She is also grateful to Wylene and Cliff Wood and David and Sue Perry for encouraging her to write this book.

David Perry has written and illustrated four books for children and middle school kids. He was especially drawn to Jack’s story and success and the importance of Unified Sports. His wife Sue and he split their time between New York City and a house on an orchard in Vermont, where they can spend as much time as possible with their grandsons, Colden and Chase.

Special Opympics USA was founded in 1963 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver who saw how unjustly and unfairly people with intellectual disabilities were treated. She also saw that many children with intellectual disabilities didn't even have a place to play. She decided to take action. Today, athletes, Unified partners, and coaches from all 52 Special Olympics US Programs come together to make up the Special Olympics USA. For more information please contact www.specialolympics.org

Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. For more information please contact www.jointherevolution.org/50-game-changers/unified-sports

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