Two records fell at the ASPIRE 10 kilometer road race in Plainview April 1. Competing against able-bodied runners, nine amputee athletes sponsored by A Step Ahead Prosthetics & Orthotics of Hicksville, participated in the race, which raises money for ASPIRE, a non-profit organization that provides financial support and education to children with limb loss.

Team A Step Ahead athletes combined to break two course records, headed by Amy Winters, a below-knee amputee who shaved nearly 3 minutes off the previous mark for a female below-knee amputee by finishing the 10 kilometer course in 00:45:35. Winters shattered the mark previously held by former Team A Step Ahead member Lori Penesis.

Brian O'Sullivan set the course record for an above-knee amputee by completing the race in 00:53:21. O'Sullivan, who only recently began competing in road races, broke the previous record by more than 2 minutes.

A third course record nearly fell when Tommy Koehler, a retired New York City policeman who lost his leg below the knee in the line of duty, crossed the finish line with a personal best time of 00:43:12, placing him just 25 seconds off the record set by fellow Team A Step Ahead member Ray Viscome in 2004. Notably, Koehler came to the ASPIRE 10K only months after successfully completing the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in his first attempt.

Additionally, Team A Step Ahead member John Tartaglio, who lost both his legs to a nearly fatal bacterial infection in 2004, became the first bilateral hip disarticulation amputee to complete 5 kilometers on a prosthesis when he crossed the ASPIRE finish line in a time of 1:18:00.

Overall, nine Team A Step Ahead athletes participated in the ASPIRE 10K, which was held by the Greater Long Island Running Club.

For more information on Team A Step Ahead or ASPIRE contact Phil Kreuter at 681-3484.