On June 22, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe and New York City Commissioner for People with Disabilities Matthew Sapolin will welcome the Hope & Possibility 5-Mile Run/Walk to Central Park. New York Governor David Paterson and the Central Park Jogger Trisha Meili will lead over 4,000 able-bodied and disabled participants including veterans of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan who are undergoing rehabilitation at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Brooke Army Medical and the Balboa Naval Center in San Diego. The run/walk, hosted by Achilles International, will kick-off with the Wheelchair 5-Mile starting at 8:20am followed by the Regular 5-Mile at 8:30am. The event is open to the public.

"The Hope & Possibility Run/Walk provides an opportunity for people with disabilities as well as our wounded war heroes to be active and to continue to live out their sports passions in a competitive setting," said Commissioner Podziba. "This event illustrates how athletes with physical disabilities can overcome physical constraints. Achilles International has done a tremendous service to the community by growing the Hope & Possibility Run/Walk in New York City and holding the event in a handful of other cities around the country."

"Our City is committed to providing and promoting excellent opportunities for disabled athletes to participate in a variety of events," said New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Matthew Sapolin. "Achilles International and this race make it possible for thousands of New Yorkers to display great athleticism and determination and show the full spirit of New York City."

"The 6th Annual Hope & Possibility 5-Mile Run/Walk helps to promote the importance of physical activity for people of all ages and abilities," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "Thanks to our partnership with Achilles International we are able to further our commitment to expanding access to people of all abilities in both our facilities and programming so that the City's parkland can be enjoyed by all New Yorkers."

$7,000 in prize money will be awarded to the top female and male finishers in the following categories: open, visually impaired, above-knee amputee, below-knee amputee, ambulatory disabled, pushrim and hand-crank wheelchair. Special awards will be given out for Power Chair athletes and double amputees.

This inspirational race will celebrate the human spirit as embodied by Achilles Founding Board Chair Trisha Meili, author of I Am the Central Park Jogger: A story of Hope and Possibility. Trisha along with members of Achilles International and many corporate teams will participate in this year's event.

The post-race awards ceremony will take place at approximately 11:00am in the Disability Awareness area, located on the 72nd Street service road near the bandshell. The Disability Awareness area will offer activities that allow able-bodied persons to experience a few minutes of jogging as a blind runner and/or test out a wheelchair or hand cycle.

"Many people state that the Hope & Possibility is their favorite race of the year," said Dick Traum, founder of Achilles International. "There is excitement in the air; prize money in seven categories; Mayor's Cup Medals for all finishers; running shoes for the kids; great food and entertainment."

The annual Kids Race Against Obesity will begin at 10:30am for kids ages 2-16. Entry is free and the first 1,000 kids to sign up will receive a complimentary pair of running shoes courtesy of the Athletes Foot as well as a participation medal. The goal of the race is to introduce as many New York City youths to running as possible. The Knicks City Dancers will be appearing along with TV/Film personalities.

For more information on the Hope & Possibility 5-Mile and Achilles International, please visit www.achillestrackclub.org.

The Achilles International is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping disabled people partake in athletic activity, particularly running and walking, by providing support and training programs. Achilles extends its aid to people with varying disabilities, such as visual impairment, paraplegia, amputation and others. Achilles was founded in 1983 in New York City and has expanded rapidly throughout the United States and other countries, including Norway, New Zealand, Russia and Japan.

Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities serves as a liaison between City government and disabled individuals and organizations representing or serving New Yorkers with disabilities. The Office works with City agencies to make sure that the particular needs of People with Disabilities are considered in the development of City policies, programs, and services.

Parks & Recreation is the steward of almost 29,000 acres of land - 14 percent of New York City - including more than 4,000 individual properties ranging from Yankee Stadium and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds; we manage four major stadiums, 550 tennis courts, 51 public pools, 34 recreation centers, 12 nature centers, 13 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches; we care for 1,200 monuments and 22 historic house museums; we look after 500,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City's principal provider of athletic facilities. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals. For more information about Parks, visit our Web site: www.nyc.gov/parks.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.