Dylan Braccia @TheBristolPress | May 30, 2025
BRISTOL – Almost four years after a dirt bike crash and serious brain injury left him partially paralyzed, DJ Angelillo is ready to take on the Gaylord Gauntlet 5K Trail and Obstacle Run.
On June 5, 2021, Angelillo was riding his dirt bike with friends in the woods in his back yard. He pulled ahead of his friends, and by the time they caught up to him, they found him on the ground, far from his bike.
Following the accident, he spent three weeks at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. The whole right side of Angelillo’s body was paralyzed, and doctors didn’t know if he would ever walk again.
When he went to Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, he had a trach and feeding tube. He spent months at the hospital as he worked on relearning his words. He still continues to go to Gaylord’s outpatient physical therapy to refine his gait, and to achieve his goal of learning to run again.
In just a few weeks, Angelillo will be the 2025 Featured Adaptive Athlete of the Gaylord Gauntlet 5k Trail and Obstacle Run, the hospital announced. Angelillo said his goal was to race a 5K.
“I was going to do a race this year no matter what,” Angelillo said.
While at Gaylord for therapy, he saw the poster on the wall for the Gaylord Gauntlet. After some thinking, he decided to apply to be the Featured Adaptive Athlete for the run.
“I think I can do almost anything,” Angelillo said. “I’m recovering pretty well.”
Gaylord Sports Association Program Manager Katie Holy met Angelillo through the process of recruiting for the race.
“We are looking for someone who is super pumped about this, and also someone who is ready to take on the challenge,” Holy said. “When we met DJ, we knew he’d be a great candidate to be the featured athlete.”
Holy said that Angelillo wants to do this race no matter what.
“He’s been working really hard at making as much progress as possible, and that’s really evident,” Holy said.
Holy described the Gaylord Gauntlet as a 5K trail and obstacle run. She said there are 24 obstacles, including walls to climb, logs to cross, cargo nets, bridges, and more.
She said that this is the 11th year running the event, and every year it has grown larger and larger.
“This year, over 1,000 runners are expected, which is record breaking for us,” Holy said.
Angelillo said he looks forward to the challenge.
”I’m pretty excited, and nervous as well,” Angelillo said. “I want to prove to myself and others that anything is possible.”
He will run with the support of his Gaylord outpatient and former inpatient physical therapists, and his family. Angelillo is recently married, and has a baby girl.
He said he’s running the course to honor the fourth anniversary of his accident, and to show his daughter and the world that there is no “obstacle too difficult to overcome.”
Along with the run, there will also be food trucks, music, and vendors.
“It’s fun,” Holy said. “We try to create a fun atmosphere for our community members.”
The proceeds from the event support the Gaylord Sports Association. They offer a diverse adaptive sports program with over fifteen different sports. Programs range from introductory clinics to competitive sports teams.
The Gaylord Gauntlet will be held on June 14 at the Gaylord Hospital, 50 Gaylord Farm Rd., Wallingford.