50 Marathons in 50 States

 Paul Erway and his friends, Grant and Aaron, decided to complete a marathon in each of the 50 states. They completed all 50 by wheelchair and decided to document their experiences. Although they documented each race, I decided to focus on their races in Little Rock, AR and Boston, MA. 

    The Little Rock race took place on March 3rd, 2013. Paul did not participate in this race, but Aaron and Grant described it as especially challenging. This is most likely due to the fact that they were completing back-to-back marathons with very little sleep. I can only imagine how exhausting one marathon is, much less two in two days! Grant described the race as a constant uphill. He could not recall any of the downs. As someone who attended undergrad just outside of Little Rock, I am very familiar with the city's steep hills. Last week, our class participated in a wheelchair lab. During this lab, we practiced propelling ourselves up the inclines of our campus' parking garage. This activity became tiresome very quickly, and those inclines were nothing compared to the hills of Little Rock, AR. Grant and Aaron must have impeccable endurance and upper-body strength. Grant finished the race in 02:16:26, and Aaron finished in just over 3 hours. I was also impressed when I found out the oldest wheelchair participant at this race was 60 years old! 

    Although the race itself was challenging, Grant and Aaron faced another great obstacle when they rented a car. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), car rental companies are required to provide hand controls for those with disabilities. They simply require a 48-hour notice, so they can properly install the equipment in plenty of time. These portable hand controls are attached directly to the pedals via Velcro or wing nuts. Paul mentioned that most people who need hand controls carry a portable set in case of emergency. However, you are not allowed to install your own controls into a rental car due to insurance constraints. Because of their time crunch, Grant did not examine the controls after they were installed in the rental car. According to Paul, the controls fell off within 10 minutes of the drive. Although he ended the story there, I assume Aaron and Grant were able to make it to their destination safely. Although I was happy to learn that people with disabilities are able to rent a car, it was concerning to hear that the hand controls are not always installed properly. At the end of the chapter, Paul suggested there be a law change to where people with disabilities can install the hand controls themselves. I think this would be a smart idea because they are probably more familiar with the equipment than the employees at the car rental companies. 

    The second marathon I read about was the 2013 Boston marathon. I did not realize that I had read a lot about this marathon before reading Paul's chapter. The 2013 Boston marathon was tragically memorable. Paul was on a returning flight when the bombing took place. This was because the wheelchair event took began about 40 minutes before the runners. Paul took time to reflect on the importance of timing at this particular event. First of all, Paul barely qualified for this particular race. His time was within 22 seconds of the qualifying standard. Secondly, he arrived at the departing gate of his flight with only 15 minutes to spare. If he had finished the race 10-15 minutes later, he most likely would've missed his flight. Lastly, if he had began the race with the runners, he "would have been somewhere on the course or worse." While he was on the flight home, Paul sat next to the president of Saucony Running Shoes, Richie Woodworth. When the flight landed, Paul and Richie's phones were overloaded with texts, calls, and emails. Richie was silent and distraught because many of his employees were working a tent just by the finish line. Thankfully, they later found out none of them were injured. Paul stated survivors compared the event to an end-of-the-world science-fiction movie. Many people were aimlessly searching the streets for food, water, and transportation. Paul, along with many other Americans, will never view the Boston marathon as they did before. 

    Another concept that stood out to me while reading this chapter was the difficulty Paul faced while navigating through the airport. He was responsible for his luggage and two wheelchairs. He had to transfer chairs, change clothes, hail a cab, and complete extra securities checks at TSA. The process of navigating an airport can be stressful for anyone, and I can only imagine how stressful it can be for someone with additional challenges. Additionally, Paul mentioned how difficult it can be to move within the narrow aisles of a plane. Personally, I have struggled carrying bulking luggage down the aisle of a plane, and I can only imagine how difficult it would be to navigate such a tight space via wheelchair. 

    In summary, reading these chapters were very insightful. I gained knowledge about few of the many challenges wheelchair users face on a daily basis. As someone who hopes to run at least one marathon one day, I have a lot of respect for Paul, Grant, and Aaron. Their stories are inspiring and admirable to many!

Erway, P. (2019). 50 abilities, unlimited possibilities: Racing to the final finish line from salt lake city to the mountains of montana. Silver Tree Communications.