About Francesco Magisano

Francesco Magisano is a blind elite endurance athlete and disability advocate who has dedicated his life to redefining the limits of possibility. After losing his vision as a child, Francesco became an athlete with Achilles International in 2017. Since then, he’s run almost two dozen marathons and become the first blind athlete to complete an Ultraman (an ultra distance triathlon), among myriad other athletic accomplishments.

He is now the NYC Metro Region director for Achilles International, empowering thousands of athletes with disabilities to train, race, and thrive. Francesco uses his own unique blend of candor, humor, and storytelling to inspire others to think differently about access, resilience, and human potential.

Francesco lost part of his vision when he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer, at just ten months old. By the end of high school, he had lost all remaining sight. It was during this formative period that Francesco discovered the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School, a community dedicated to blind and low-vision musicians. Music provided both creative expression and belonging—a refuge during a time of rapid change.

In 2017, another pivotal moment arrived through a chance encounter in a grocery store. A volunteer invited him to an Achilles workout, where Francesco ran the first mile of his life. That mile grew into a marathon. Then another. Then twenty five. And ultimately, in 2023, he became the first blind athlete ever to complete an Ultraman—one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world.

Today, Francesco pulls together these threads—adaptation, grit, sport, storytelling, leadership, and advocacy—to empower athletes with disabilities, reimagine access, and push the boundaries of what’s possible.