Visually impaired Naugatuck man invites you to his $25 Challenge

On this steamy mid-September Sunday evening, Mike Tubiak is sweating out a few miles on his treadmill.

It’s just the day after the Naugatuck resident competed in the Spartan Beast - a grueling 12-plus-mile obstacle course that takes runners straight up a black-diamond ski slope in Killington, VT – but he has two goals. First, to shake off the lactic acid buildup in his weary legs. Second, and most important to him, he’s creating a Facebook Live video appeal for donations to the fundraising page he’s set up in honor of the Connecticut Chapter of Achilles International.

Giving back

Achilles is a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities and medical conditions participate in mainstream running events. Achilles athletes have conditions ranging from autism and traumatic brain injuries to multiple sclerosis and quadriplegia.

Mike lacks peripheral (side) vision due to retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive genetic disorder that he was diagnosed with at the age of 14. By 2014, Mike’s vision had progressed to the point where he says, “I couldn’t drive, and I really struggled while out running.”

Since then, Achilles has provided Mike with guides and other support so he can safely make it to the start – and equally important, finish line - of races.

No ordinary fundraiser – the $25 Challenge

Mike is fundraising to help Achilles Connecticut offset the costs of sending his fellow disabled athletes throughout Connecticut to the Eversource Hartford Marathon races in October. But in true “Tubiak Maniac” form (that’s his Instagram handle), he refuses to simply make a standard plea for donations.

"I can't just ask people for money,” he explains. “I have to give something back and show how invested I am in this." So in addition to running 13.1 miles at the Hartford Half Marathon in October, on Sunday, Sept. 23, Mike will be at Naugatuck High School to run one lap (a quarter of a mile) and do sets of 25 pushups, jumping jacks, crunches and air-squats for every $25 donation. His goal: $1,000.

Mike has cleared his day for the event, which starts at 9am, and will be live-streamed on Facebook Live. The game plan, he says, is to be at the high school until 5pm.

“Remember, that $25 is going to help out a really great cause,” he says. “I’m doing this for everybody out there who thinks they can’t do it. We have so many amazing athletes in Achilles, and a lot of them you wouldn’t think of as athletes until you saw what they can do, no matter what.”

You can see Mike Tubiak in action at his $25 Challenge at Naugatuck High School on Sunday, Sept. 23 between 9am – 5pm. If you can’t donate, please share his fundraising link with your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers on social media or via email. He appreciates donations of any size!