Local ultrarunner and SONM board member Adam Trubow, along with Special Olympics athlete Tim Harris, join Joe O’Neill from 101.7 The Team to discuss the 100 Friends for 100 Miles campaign and the upcoming Leadville Trail 100 Run on August 16. Adam is raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics New Mexico during the campaign. His goal: Raise $100,000 to directly support sending Team New Mexico, including 30 Special Olympics athletes, to compete at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota. Listen to the interview and support the campaign online at 100friends100miles.com

“He’s been a hero to me, and to all my friends out there. Cause he loves to see the ability, and see all that awesomeness,” Tim Harris shared during the KOAT 7 interview this past Sunday, August 10. Watch the Interview

This summer, Adam’s goal is to raise $100,000 for Special Olympics New Mexico during his 100 Friends for 100 Miles campaign. Adam is stepping up for Special Olympics athletes and encourages the community to support the campaign! Adam will begin the Leadville Trail 100 Run on Saturday, August 16. All proceeds from the campaign directly support Special Olympics New Mexico athletes who will compete at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota. Learn more and donate at 100friends100miles.com

Excerpt from KOAT Channel 7 News: A video of Carlsbad resident Jaydon Madrid is going viral on social media after the 8-year-old made a mid-race pit stop to give his mom a kiss at [Special Olympics New Mexico’s 2025 State Summer Games] in early June.

Jaydon ran the 100-meter sprint at the 2025 Summer Games. Anet Madrid, his mother, posted a video to TikTok, where it garnered thousands of views and comments from around the world.

“I shared it so our friends could see, and I didn’t expect it to go viral the way it did,” Madrid told KOAT.

Jaydon has a rare condition called Polymicrogyria, which means he has many small folds in his brain. He also has autism and is non-verbal.

Madrid says she didn’t know if her son would walk, talk or eat. He has been able to surpass his goals. At 3 years old, Jaydon started walking using a gait trainer and then started running on his own.

“I put him in track because he’s really good at running. He’s running any chance he gets,” Madrid said.

Excerpt taken from Artesia Daily Press, June 2: Caring for a son with developmental disabilities led to a lifelong calling for Lee and Patrick Kirksey.

And that calling led the couple to their current role as co-chairs of the Area 4 Special Olympics, a position they have held since succeeding Carolyn Olson of Carlsbad who retired six months ago after 50 years as the organization’s [Area 4 Director].

“We are very fortunate to call Lee and Patrick Kirksey our new Special Olympics New Mexico Area 4 Director and sidekick,” Olson said in an email. “They bring incredible heart, incredible thinking, incredible imagination, and incredible enthusiasm to the program. Our amazing athletes will continue to succeed under their expert leadership.”

Randy Mascorella, [Special Olympics New Mexico’s Executive Director], said the organization was “blessed beyond measure” to have the Kirkseys “assume the role now that Carolyn retired as the Area 4 Director.”

Excerpt from KOAT News 7, May 30: Hundreds of athletes are in Albuquerque to compete in the Special Olympics New Mexico State Summer Games.

“I am really excited. I already competed in three events this morning,” said Tim Harris. “The long jump, the shotput and the 100.”

Tim is no stranger to the organization. Since the age of 13, he’s competed in Special Olympics and now at 39, he hasn’t eased up. But seeing him compete is something his parents didn’t imagine could happen.

“When Tim was born, we weren’t prepared for that. In modern times, there’s so much more prenatal testing. So many parents have the knowledge before the baby is born. Tim was our second. We were not aware,” said Keith Harris, Tim’s father. “There was a period at the beginning that was pretty dark for us, like it just felt like things had changed in an unexpected way and went through a period of grief, quite honestly. But had I known then what I know now, I would have been jumping for joy.”

He told KOAT Tim has become his biggest inspiration and his teacher, showing the Harris family and everyone they meet how to live life fully and embrace every moment.

Excerpt from NMACT.org, April 11:

For the first time in the history of the NMAA State Esports Championships, schools played a Unified Esports match.  Del Norte took on La Cueva in Rocket League on Friday afternoon at the APS Berna Facio Professional Development Center.  “Our whole mission is to try and be as inclusive as possible, with no cuts for our program,” said La Cueva Esports coach Nick Romero.  “It’s really good social and emotional learning for them.”

“My policy at Del Norte is ‘Everyone is welcome’,” said Del Norte Esports coach Marta Anderson.  “We really try hard to get everyone there, including all the new adaptive equipment the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools just gave us through their program.”  Anderson said they now have ‘smash pads’ for kids with cerebral palsy, so they can participate in spite of any physical limitation.  “I also have a young man that’s in a wheelchair and I’m excited for him to get use a new joystick with his chin…so he can play Smash Bros. with his buddies.”

Anderson believes having Unified programs helps bring the community together.

Excerpt from LCPS.net, January 29: It was a day of celebration, sportsmanship, and inclusion at Organ Mountain High School as the Knights proudly hosted the 2025 NM Special Olympics Play Unified Basketball Game. The event brought together students from Las Cruces, Centennial, and Mayfield High Schools for an inspiring Unified Basketball tournament that highlighted the power of teamwork, unity, and diversity.

During the event, Organ Mountain High School received a national banner and plaque from ESPN, naming them the New Mexico Unified Champion School (UCS) of the Year and one of the Top 50 Unified Champion Schools in the Nation. This prestigious recognition celebrates Organ Mountain’s unwavering commitment to fostering inclusion and creating opportunities for students with and without disabilities to participate in sports as equals.