06/03/2026
INCLUSION MATTERS - LETS DO BETTER RNR!
This past Sunday Becca and I ran in the Rock n Roll Marathon - San Diego. The race itself was incredible. And to the thousands of runners and spectators who cheered for Becca I have not enough words of thanks.
If you truly want to advocate for inclusion you shouldn’t charge the IDD athlete. Let’s get real, Becca doesn’t take any assistance from aid stations (she feeds and drinks through her tube, she doesn’t need the event shirt, she doesn’t even need the finishers medal. She can have mine! That’s the point. Making it possible for these amazing athletes. With the majority of families either being single parents or low income families, spending money on an entry fee where they won’t even be able to use the resources seems absolutely insane, greedy and narrow minded. The goal should always be to breakdown the barriers that prevent these amazing athletes from experiencing what all of us runners without disabilities experience.
Becca’s mother left me a message after the race saying; “Becca just wants to feel a part of something. She loves being in social settings even if she doesn’t speak. Running gives her freedom and a sense of belonging not just existing.”
Isn’t that what all of us need. To be accepted, to be welcomed, to feel you contribute.
I really hope Rock n Roll can figure out that extra race entry fee. I don’t think 15 athletes in adaptive running chairs that require no or very little resources impacts the overall bottom line out of 30,000 runners.
I hate to complain. But when I see something that is so ridiculous I have to speak up. I wouldn’t be a good advocate otherwise…
www.2getherwelive.com IRONMAN
