Tens of thousands of people will take on the Philadelphia Marathon Sunday and for a father and son team from South Jersey, they’re not focused on how to get from start to finish, rather how they'll reach it together.
The medals hanging on the wall of Josh Goldstein's Voorhees, New Jersey home are proof that he takes running seriously.
His father, Dave, is just as serious and proud.
“Training is tough but worth it,” he said.
The only difference: Dave uses his legs, while Josh cannot.
“I thought, ‘Why should Josh be on the sideline watching when he can be included in these runs too?’” the father said.
Josh has been disabled since birth and 20 years later he finds pure happiness in getting to ride — with others who run.
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“He’s lived a rough life and had it hard, but he smiles like this 24/7,” he said. “He's always happy. Anything that goes wrong with me how can I complain when he deals with what he deals with? I just draw off his happiness. It just inspires me.”
Never one to back down from a challenge, the Army veteran, bought a special racing chariot, added he added a little Eagles green and the rest comes naturally.
“When he's out on the course he's happy. The runners are great with him — fist bumping him — and people are so motivated so it makes me proud to have him with me and we're a team,” he said.
But Dave wants to see more teams — more chariots out on the course. He’s working to prove, that disabled or not, it's about having fun and doing something you never thought possible.
Dave is working to bring a chapter of Ainsley’s Angels of America, a nonprofit hoping to build awareness about all aspects of life, to the Philadelphia area soon. Learn more about the organization here.
