Dick Traum(1940-2024)

In 1965 at age 24 Dick Traum was crushed between two cars at a gas station and had to have his right leg amputated. Undaunted, Traum, who had always been an athlete and had wrestled in college, learned how to walk and eventually run with a prosthetic leg. In 1976 Traum became the first amputee to successfully complete the New York City Marathon. In 1983 Traum founded the Achilles Track Club, an organization for disabled athletes that later became known as Achilles International. Six members of the club completed the New York City Marathon that same year. In 1984 a Vermont chapter of the Achilles Track Club was founded while the first international chapter was founded in New Zealand the following year. In 1988 the first Achilles Handicap 10k Race was held in Central Park. Moreover, that same year Traum became the first amputee to finish a 100 km ultra event in Poland. Achilles International hosted its first annual tribute dinner in 1991. Achilles Kids was founded in 1991 and kicked off with the Race Around New York virtual marathon. This was followed by the inaugural Achilles Marathon in Brooklyn in 2001. Achilles International launched the Hope & Possibility 5 mile run in 2003. In 2004 Traum persuaded 34 wounded war veterans to participate in the Hope & Possibility run. Traum was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on April 18, 2010. Traum has a BS, MBA, and Ph.D. from New York University. He lives in Manhattan.