When Debbie Leoni started the Southeast Missouri chapter of My Team Triumph in 2013, she did so on a hunch. She believed the Cape Girardeau running community would welcome an organization that could help disabled individuals by pushing special race chairs.

She was right.

"It's just grown like crazy," she said.

Although Leoni had lived in the Cape Girardeau area previously, she was inspired to start the Southeast Missouri chapter several years ago while living in Wisconsin.

"A friend of mine started the Wisconsin chapter," she said. "I've worked here in Cape. I thought I knew a lot of people who would really love the My Team Triumph and what it stood for."

Amy Jansen congratulates Ashlynn Porter after finishing the My Team Triumph Resolution Run on Jan. 1 outside of the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

So she approached the families of two individuals with disabilities to ask if they'd like to be paired with a runner and chair to complete a race. In other words, she asked if they'd like to be what My Team Triumph calls "captains."

"They were wholeheartedly excited to get involved with it," she said.

Fast forward to now, when the organization has seen 25 different captains and recruited more than 100 "angels" to help get them across the finish line. And that's not counting the times they visit the veterans home in the summer to take the residents out on rides, either.

They're up to 11 captain's chairs. Two are only for pulling behind bicycles, and others are only for pushing by runners, but most are convertible.

And while they celebrated 2017 with a race, the My Team Triumph's New Year's Day event was somewhat bittersweet. One of the chairs was empty.

Volunteer Mark Klaus looks out for traffic while participants in the My Team Triumph Resolution Run cross East Rodney Drive on Jan. 1 in Cape Girardeau.Ben Matthews

Brandon McArthur, one of those two original captains, was diagnosed with a degenerative disease called ataxia-telangiectasia, or AT, as a child.

"He was diagnosed with liver cancer, which is not unusual for people who live to his age with AT," Leoni explained. "And he passed away in September."

So to honor his memory, My Team Triumph added another chair to its ranks -- a yellow one to pay homage to the off-road vehicle McArthur used to call "The Short Bus."

Since that vehicle had all-terrain wheels and McArthur loved taking it off-road, My Team Triumph made sure the new chair had fat wheels too.

"And inside, we had a blanket made from shirts from all of his races and ran it empty," Leoni said.

The chair cost the organization more than $3,000, but Leoni said the funds came together faster than she expected.

"First, I put the word out to our angels and we got a little bit there," she said, adding that the rest came from anonymous donors. "We have had amazing support from this community. ... We've never had an event where we didn't have an angel."

And, she said, it's not the only time the volunteers give, but with registration money, too.

"They get nothing out of this," she said. At least, not by the usual racing metrics.

"They're not even eligible to place since they're not timed," she said. "They just love the joy it gives the people they're running with, biking with."

Now that their New Year's Day race is finished, the organization is looking forward to the City 2 City race and relay to be held the first week of May. She said all who are interested are encouraged to volunteer, regardless of physical ability.

"Anyone who wants to participate who needs just a little extra help to participate is what we're here for," she said. "We're always excited to have more people participate with us in any capacity. They don't have to do it fast. ... Start together, run together, finish together. ... I can't say enough about the athletic community around here. Runners are amazing people."

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573)388-3627