​TAUNTON, MA (WPRI) — This week’s Cardi’s Furniture & Mattresses Hometown Sports Hero is Mary MacDonald.The Taunton native and Bristol-Plymouth Senior started Wheelchair racing in the 8th grade and hasn’t looked back since. MacDonald picking up her first major win at this year’s Celsius Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas and not letting Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita slow her down.    “Just the ability to go fast and the adrenaline that comes with it. It may sound a little bit kind of strange that I like the adrenaline, but when you think about it, racing is something you can push your limits for,” MacDonald said. “And the more I train, the more I enjoy, to actually race you know. That’s what I enjoy about it, it’s just fast and it makes me feel more free.” MacDonald’s commitment to the sport, helping to support her Mental Health as her training a good treatment for the Depression she’s been battling since her early teenage years. “It took me a little bit but once I started adding sports to my regular routine, it made me so much more happier, and it made me realize this is my thing,” MacDonald said. “This is what I want to do and that’s how it got to this point where I feel a lot better on a day-to-day basis. It’s great, I feel great. I feel glorious. I feel free, I feel welcomed in a community, and that was really hard to find beforehand.” Mary’s planning to continue her career in college, and she’s been in touch with some big Division I Adaptive Sports and Fitness programs. She hopes to make a decision in the Fall and hopes that continued success will allow her to reach her two main goals: earning a spot on Team USA for the Paralympic Games and competing in a Boston Marathon.”Being able to show disabled folks that no matter your disability you can still do what you want to do,” MacDonald said. “There’s no limit as to what you can do. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. So, I think it’s been an honor to be part of this movement. To get this rolling forward, haha, rolling forward.” If you have a Hometown Sports Hero you’d like to nominate, email sports@wpri.com.
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