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t m c » p u l s e | d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 12 J essica Callahan grips the end of the green tether, waiting for her guide to tell her it's time. Soon, she and her guide, Allison Fowler, are running in tandem, their feet a steady metronome on the gravel. Callahan focuses on her steps, the give and take of the rubber- ized resistance band, the exuberance she feels as she flies down the path. The sun, rising, slices through the trees, and all around her the city is waking up. She knows Memorial Park is crowded, and she knows her teammates are close, but she cannot see any of it. Born five months premature, before her retinas had time to fully attach, Callahan has been blind her entire life. But the 30-year-old Fairfield, California native, who lived in an incubator and was "touch and go" until she was four months old, fought through. She's been fighting ever since. Callahan is training for January's Aramco Houston Half Marathon, with plans to race in the Chevron Houston Marathon in 2018. She runs with the help of guides through the nonprofit organization CATAPULT, which sup- ports physically challenged individuals who wish to compete in running and endurance sports. "Everybody is very encouraging," Callahan said. "There's a certain cama- raderie in the running community, and CATAPULT makes us feel safe. They're really looking out for us." CATAPULT was founded in 2015 by two Houston-area triathletes, Chris McClendon and Jarrett Hubert. The two men were already working with visually-impaired runners when they identified an overwhelming need for a local organization dedicated to athletes with multiple types of physical challenges. Shortly thereafter, they recruited Paralympian Mark Barr, who placed fourth in the first Paralympic Triathlon event in Rio in October, to help coach. A trauma-surgical ICU nurse at Harris Health System's Ben Taub Hospital, Barr lost his right leg to osteosarcoma when he was 14. CATAPULT's mission is to provide full access to endurance sports to any individual working to overcome a phys- ical challenge—no matter their skill set. Athletes range from new amputees and those who have no experience running to aspiring Paralympians. Through training, hands-on coaching and educa- tion, CATAPULT volunteers share their own love for sport. Up and Running Team CATAPULT is on a mission to turn disability into capability B y A l e x a n d r a B e c k e r "I think a lot of physically chal- lenged individuals don't realize their capabilities, so we're raising aware- ness," said McClendon, president of the organization. "We're saying, 'We're here to turn your disability into a capability.'" Prosthetic knees Central to CATAPULT's mission is fundraising. Not only can race entry fees and travel expenses add up, but purchasing the prostheses needed to compete can sometimes feel like an insurmountable hurdle. Running pros- theses, deemed medically unnecessary by insurance companies and therefore rarely covered, can run upwards of $20,000 each. "Having access to the right equip- ment is obviously pretty crucial for these individuals," Barr said, "so we made that a priority." This past summer, a local family reached out to CATAPULT for help with their son, Calder Hodge, a double amputee. Hodge, now 11, dreams of playing in the NFL, but he only owned fixed blades that did not bend at the knee, creating excess strain on his hips. After brainstorming fundraising options, CATAPULT decided to put together their first-ever annual 5K, with the inaugural race benefiting new prosthetic knee components for Hodge. Through social media and marketing, the group created quite a buzz. "A lot of people got excited about it and were sharing it," McClendon said. "Through that process, an anonymous donor walked into the Hanger Clinic and covered the entire bill for both of his knees." That act of generosity allowed CATAPULT to send Hodge and his CATAPULT athlete Jessica Callahan, left, and guide Allison Fowler. Callahan has been blind since birth and runs tethered to Fowler. What we're doing goes beyond the track. It's providing a social network and an outlet. — JARRETT HUBERT CATAPULT Chief Executive Officer