When Zachary Stimer first announced his goal, people were not convinced he could achieve it.

The 15-year-old, who was born with cerebral palsy, said in January that he wanted to walk 10 laps with a walker around the inside of his rehab center. Zach, a New Oxford resident and eighth-grader at Bermudian Springs Middle School, mostly travels in a wheelchair and works on walking twice a week at the Cherry Tree Rehab Center in Hanover.

Before setting an original goal of six laps, he typically walked between half a lap or one lap, a total of 80 to 140 feet. On Jan. 23, he walked six laps inside the rehab center, and immediately set a new goal of 10 laps. Ten laps would involve walking 1,400 feet.

His physical therapist, Stacie James, said she was skeptical when Zach first decided to go for it.

"I was a little concerned because you don't want people to be disappointed," said James, 49. "I thought he might be able to do it by the end of March or early April."

Instead, Zach surprised everyone involved by walking all 1,400 feet on Feb. 12 - less than three weeks after setting his goal.

"I knew I wanted to achieve my goal and I just did it," he said.

Reaching a goal of this size was not without its obstacles. Zach attempted to walk the distance several times before doing the full 10 laps, and while he said he was disappointed when he didn't make it through, he became more determined each time.

The staff at the rehab center had heard about the goal and came out of their offices to cheer Zach on as he walked. Members of Zach's family were also present as he rounded the corner on his final lap after an hour and 15 minutes. Zach said it felt good to have that kind of encouragement.

"I felt that I needed to achieve that goal with people watching me," he said.

James said she was extremely proud that Zach proved her wrong.

"I believe in my heart it's truly an athletic achievement for Zach," James said.

When he isn't busy breaking personal records, Zach enjoys playing video games and watching television, "Walker, Texas Ranger" in particular.

He's also an avid sports fan and hopes to one day be a sports writer. The New England Patriots, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the New York Mets are some of his favorite teams in , and he keeps up with Bermudian Springs High School wrestling and football, in which his brother, Jake, participates.

Zach said he enjoys going to his brother's games and matches and has missed hardly any. With his own athletic achievement, Zach has inspired others. Since reaching his goal, Zach has heard stories from people at the rehab center who have used his story to motivate others and encourage them to set goals for themselves.

For now, Zach is taking time to enjoy his achievement before moving on to the next goal.

"I hope to set more goals, but I haven't gotten over the excitement of this goal ... and seriously, I don't think I'll ever get over the excitement," Zach said.