PHOENIX, Feb. 7, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- January – warm Arizona weather – a new half marathon course for the PF Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon – and finishing in first place with a personal record was the crème on top. Anjali Forber-Pratt, Paralympic medalist competed in her first Boston Marathon in 2011 and finished fourth. She went on to win the Indianapolis Half Marathon then set her sights on the Rock and Roll Arizona. And, she won. Again.
For Forber-Pratt, as a woman, a person of color and an athlete with a disability, she has overcome challenges and developed, in her words, "multiple identities that define her as a role model." She arrived today at the intersection of those three identities as a world champion athlete and she departed Phoenix as the 2012 Half Marathon Champion for women in the wheelchair division with her personal best record of 1 hour 2 minutes 27 seconds.
"My story is powerful in that it shows the power of overcoming obstacles and that we all have potential to achieve ... even in the face of adversity," said Anjali Forber-Pratt. "I continue to live my motto in every aspect of my life … Dream, Drive, Do!"
Anjali Forber-Pratt is someone who knows first-hand how much disability can make a difference in peoples' lives. At four months old, Forber-Pratt contracted Transverse Myelitis leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. But what some people might view as a tragedy, Anjali has come to view as a positive life altering event.
A member of the 2012 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Team Anjali Forber-Pratt is considered a hopeful training for the London Paralympic Games and will try to earn her spot on Team USA in June at trials. Forber-Pratt was one of the featured speakers at The Legends of Running at PF Chang's Kick-off event at the Waterfront in Scottsdale, AZ with Rod Dixon and other world-class runners.
"It was a true delight to have Anjali participate at the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon," said Tracy Sundlun, SVP of Competitor Group, organizer of the event. "What an amazing person. What a great role model. Not only is she a world-class athlete, but she's about to get her PhD. She was truly an inspiration to all of us who a chance to spend time with her."
As if competing in the half marathon was not enough, while in Phoenix, Anjali also served as a USOC Ambassador for Arizona's Paralympic Experience Day, January 14, 2012 at Mesa High School. She shared the Olympic and Paralympic values, the spirit of competition, personal achievement and teamwork.
About Anjali Forber-Pratt
Anjali Forber-Pratt was introduced to the world of disabled sports at the young age of 5. She quickly excelled and by the age of 9 she was competing at the national level in track and field. She also excelled in skiing. In 1999, she won a gold medal for the skiing Giant Slalom in the junior division at Chevy Truck Disabled World Cup in Breckenridge, Colorado. Then she captured 3rd place in the women's open division in the Super-G at the Columbia Crest Cup. Anjali found her way back to the track in 2006. Currently she is ranked among the top three fastest T53 women in the world for the 100 meter, 200 meter and 400 meter events. She was named to the United States Paralympic Track and Field Team and selected to represent the United States at the ParaPan American Games in Rio de Janeiro—where she came home with two gold medals in the 100m and 200m and a bronze in the 400m.
Anjali's current focus is to prepare for London 2012. She juggles a six-day-a-week training regiment along with the full-time study toward her doctorate degree in Human Resource Education. Anjali is a graduate teaching assistant for the University Of Illinois College Of Education. Anjali enjoys traveling for speaking engagements around the country and volunteering with local organizations for kids with disabilities. She is in the midst of launching a Color, Learn and Play book aimed at educating young aspiring Paralympians on the variety of sports they can play and to teach young children that disabled people can play sports too!
FEATURE ARTICLE IN USA TODAY:
http://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/SPORTS/2012-01-16-PNI0116spt-halfmarathonPNIBrd_ST_U.htm
FEATURED TELEVISION INTERVIEW ON FOX10 PHOENIX:
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/morning_show/paralympic-champion-talks-marathon-with-fox-10-01122012
ONLINE PRESS KIT: http://www.cisionwire.com/anjali/r/anjali-forber-pratt--online-media-kit,c9198907
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The following files are available for download:
| wkr0006.pdf | |
| [Image] | Olympian Rod Dixon and Anjali Forber-Pratt - Legends of Running |
| [Image] | Anjali Forber Pratt with the B-52s |
| [Image] | Victory in the Half Marathon - Arizona Rock and Roll - Anjali Forber Pratt |
| [Image] | Mayors Meet Anjali |