In the beginning days of the Wheelchair Division, racers took to the streets in the regular, everyday wheelchairs that they would use. Some of these chairs could weigh over 30 lbs! Over time, with the innovations of racers (notably, Bob Hall with his company Hall’s Wheels), chairs became sleeker, lighter, and most importantly, faster! Today, chairs are designed to fit an athlete’s body which makes them more comfortable to race in. Today's chairs weigh around 15 lbs, and allow athletes to maneuver much more easily. #WheelchairWednesday (fb)

Maarika started running about 5 years ago. She’d completed the first two weeks of Couch to 5K about 20 times but was never quite able to get beyond week 3. A colleague had been diagnosed with cancer, and Maarika recalls seeing her a few weeks before she passed, noting that her fight and determination to stay here to see her grandchildren grow up was so strong. “After her passing,” Maarika reports, “I felt a shift in me. The recognition that exercise is not only a privilege, but it’s also an investment in my future health. I committed to finish Couch to 5k and signed up for a race to motivate me. There are so many lessons in running, the act of running, one step after another, leads you to finish your immediate goal, and then all those small goals add up to changes in your mind, body and spirit and allow you to make the big goals, like going from a 5k to my first full marathon last fall. I have lost many important people to cancer, my mother-in-law, Sue; my best friend's mother, Diane; my husband's cousin, Eddie; and the parents of a dear childhood friend. I feel this fundraising opportunity, running for the American Cancer Society, is a chance to honor their memories, and to support the survivors like my mom, and several friends who have already faced cancer diagnoses before the age of 40. And like my running journey, I hope this is a first step, a first small goal, that can lead to many bigger ones.” You can help Maarika to reach her goal for the American Cancer Society by visiting her Race Roster fundraising page at: https://raceroster.com/events/2025/99641/the-2025-asics-falmouth-road-race/pledge/participant/35429687 (fb)