Photo courtesy of Kelli Tanghe
By Kim Constantinesco
Team Ari is their name. Making disabilities disappear is their game.
On October 9, 2016, Kelli Tanghe, and her 16-year-old daughter, Arianna, became the first mother-daughter duo team to ever finish the Chicago Marathon.
With Ari keeping morale high in her special racing chair, Kelli pushed over 160 pounds on a couple of near-flat tires for 26.2 miles to hit the finish line in 5 hours, 57 minutes, 32 seconds.
“It was one of the best courses to be on,” Kelli said. “It almost felt like Boston with the fan support. I was really surprised with the course as far as being able to get a real tour of the city.”
Photo courtesy of Kelli Tanghe
While Kelli’s legs were feeling the brunt of the pain, Ari’s arm felt the accumulation of miles thanks to a large and encouraging fan base.
“I mostly ran on the left side of the course, and at points in the race where the barricades were set up, the crowd was 10 deep,” Kelli said. “There were so many people cheering for Ari and wanting to low-five or high-five her. Poor little thing, she waved so much with one hand, I finally said to her, ‘Are you okay?’ I had never seen her wave that much.”
Ari, who has cerebral palsy and a visual impairment, began accompanying her mom on runs in 2012.
“At the time, she wasn’t able to keep up with her peer group,” Kelli told us in 2015. “She was becoming much more aware of her disabilities. We were trying to help her and figure out what she could do where she wouldn’t have to sit on the sidelines anymore.”
So, Kelli entered a 5K and pushed Ari in a regular wheelchair.
“She loved it,” Kelli said. “She had a sense of freedom that she hadn’t had before. She put her arms up in a victory pose as we crossed the finish line, and immediately said, ‘When can we race again?’ as I was still catching my breath.”
It was a no brainer to invest in a customized racing chair. Since then, this team, who hails from Modesto, Calif., has done countless 5K’s, 10K’s, half-marathons, and four marathons, including Chicago.
For the first time, the legendary race opened up a division for dual teams. Despite many teams applying, only six entries actually made it to the course through a lottery drawing. Kelli and Ari were thrilled to be one.
Kelli’s husband, Michael, and their daughter, Lindsay, who was in from Paris, cheered the pair on in the Windy City.
Of course, no marathon goes without a story.
Team Ari’s preferred race chair for marathons is a 26-pound “light weight” chair, according to Kelli. It’s specifically built for Ari’s measurements, and Kelli’s height. However, it can’t be disassembled to pack into an airplane. So, the team had to use their 51-pound triathlon chair. Kelli wasn’t ready to push the heavier chair because she had been training with the lightweight one due to a company telling her that they were in the process of making a lightweight prototype that could be broken down to travel with. The big problem was the chair didn’t pass the testing phase, and she didn’t find out until September.
Kelli and Ari regrouped and pushed forward, but when they got to Chicago, they found the chair’s wheels wouldn’t hold much tire pressure. Michael found a bike store at about the five-mile mark and said, “Take this number with you in case you guys get into trouble on the course. You can call the bike store, and maybe they’ll come out to you.”
Kelli ran with a tire pump, but for most of the race, the front wheel and the right wheel wouldn’t hold much air.
Photo courtesy of Kelli Tanghe
“I knew I could wheelie it if the front wheel went out, but the right wheel, I thought, if we lost that, that’s it. We’re toast,” Kelli said.
All turned out well, obviously, and they hope to return to the course next October for some more fun, albeit with more air in their tires. Until then, Team Ari will finish out the year with a less demanding schedule.
It’s been a busy one so far with miles on the pavement and even in the water. That’s right. In September, they completed their first triathlon, featuring Kelli towing a raft with Ari inside.
“Ari said the swim portion was actually her favorite,” Kelli said. “We started calling her raft the ‘Ari cruise liner.'”
Whether on the water, on the road, or off the course entirely, Ari frequently talks about their accomplishments and adventures.
“She’s really proud,” Kelli said. “She’ll tell people all the time that we’ve been racing for four years and how many races we’ve done. It’s a good topic of conversation for her. It brings her out of her shell.”
And, that is better than any finisher’s medal.
