Chapter Milestones: Mongolia

In 1976, Achilles International’s late founder Dick Traum made history as the first person with a prosthetic leg to complete the New York City Marathon, helping spark a movement that continues to redefine what’s possible for athletes with disabilities around the world.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of that historic finish, we’re celebrating the people, moments and milestones that have shaped Achilles along the way. Today, that movement spans 62 chapters worldwide, each with its own story to tell.

We asked members of the Achilles Mongolia community to reflect on the moments that have defined their chapter, the milestones they've celebrated, and what Achilles means to them. Read Chapter Leader Amarjargal Davaa's reflection below.

Amarjargal Davaa, Chapter Leader, Achilles Mongolia

My Achilles “a-ha” moment came on a freezing Saturday in February 2015 on Bogd Khan Mountain.

Before that day, I had spent 12 years caught in a demanding home-work-home routine. By the time the development project I had been working on ended, I was completely exhausted. I spent three months resting and living a sedentary lifestyle, which eventually led to weight gain, high blood pressure and heart palpitations.

I knew something needed to change, but I had never played sports growing up and genuinely believed I had no athletic ability. For nearly a year, I asked friends to go hiking with me, but no one ever agreed.

Then, an unexpected encounter changed everything.

An IT technician named Munkhbayar was fixing my printer when he asked me about my dreams. I told him I wanted to hike, and he introduced me to Saranchuluun Otgon, who had recently revived Achilles International Mongolia and was organizing public runs and weekly Saturday runs and hikes.

That Saturday, at 43 years old, I stepped onto Bogd Khan Mountain for the first time in my life.

Meeting Saranchuluun completely changed my perspective. Here was a young woman with a prosthetic leg leading others, running, hiking and carrying herself with incredible confidence. I looked at my own life and realized how much fear had held me back from taking care of myself and trying something new.

That was my “a-ha” moment: I realized that limitations exist only in the mind.

I joined Achilles immediately. From February 2015 onward, I never missed a Saturday event. I began inviting friends and family, welcoming new members and encouraging people who arrived with the same uncertainty I once had. Over time, our community grew into an active club of more than 100 members, and I eventually stepped into a leadership role.

But the history of Achilles Mongolia began decades before my own journey.

The chapter's roots date back to 1990, when three Mongolian athletes with disabilities, Tuul, Ganbold and Batsaikhan, competed in the New York City Marathon. Their connection with Achilles founder Dick Traum continued after the race, and in June 1991, Dick traveled to Mongolia. Working with local partners, he helped establish the Achilles Track Club in Ulaanbaatar with 150 members with disabilities.

The chapter remained active until 2001, when Mongolia's challenging socioeconomic transition eventually forced it to suspend operations.

More than a decade later, Achilles Mongolia found new life.

In 2014, Saranchuluun was studying in New York when she encountered Achilles athletes during a workout in Central Park. Curious about the handcycles they were using, she asked if she could try one. That conversation eventually led her to Dick Traum, who told her about the original Mongolian chapter and asked whether she would revive it.

She accepted the challenge, and Achilles International Mongolia was officially re-established in December 2014.

Since then, our chapter has worked to transform not only opportunities for athletes with disabilities, but the culture surrounding inclusive sport in Mongolia.

We introduced inclusive public running events where athletes with and without disabilities could participate together. In 2015, we established the Achilles Hope & Possibility® Marathon in Ulaanbaatar, which has grown into the city's second-largest marathon and has continued for 11 consecutive years, including virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2016, we launched Achilles Kids, bringing running, movement and peer support to children with disabilities. The program has since reached approximately 3,000 children across five special education schools in Ulaanbaatar and expanded to two provinces outside the capital. Our annual Kids Fun Run has welcomed more than 10,000 children since 2015.

Our impact has also reached beyond the race course. Following years of advocacy, the official Ulaanbaatar Marathon introduced a dedicated para-athlete category and prize pool in 2023. Saranchuluun, whose leadership helped revive Achilles Mongolia, went on to become a Member of the Parliament of Mongolia, bringing her advocacy for people with disabilities to the national level.

Some of our proudest milestones have come from watching our athletes compete.

Achilles Mongolia won the Para-Athletics National Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2026 and placed second in 2024 and 2025. At the 2026 championship alone, our athletes earned 24 gold, 20 silver and nine bronze medals, finishing first overall among more than 220 athletes from 13 organizations.

We've also helped bring Mongolian athletes to the world stage. Since our revival, 134 athletes with disabilities, 142 guides and 21 charity runners have participated in international events. All five Mongolian men who have earned the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Medal are members of Achilles Mongolia.

But our greatest source of pride isn't found only in medals or finish times.

It's in the consistency of our community. We host training sessions six times a week, totaling more than 200 sessions each year. Together, our members log more than 85,000 kilometers of running and walking annually. What began as a revived volunteer club has grown into a nationally recognized sporting organization and, more importantly, a family that supports people from young children to older adults.

Leading that growth has also taught me that building a strong organization requires more than delivering programs. With a small staff and ambitious goals, we've learned how important it is to tell our story, document our impact and build the resources necessary to continue expanding Achilles throughout Mongolia.

When I think back to that first freezing hike on Bogd Khan Mountain, I could never have imagined where one Saturday would lead.

Achilles changed my understanding of what I was capable of. Today, I have the privilege of helping create that same opportunity for others, whether they're taking their first steps toward an active life, lining up for their first race or representing Mongolia on the world stage.

More than a decade after Achilles Mongolia was revived, we are still running, growing and challenging the idea that disability should ever determine what someone can achieve.