Huntley runner will push pal in wheelchair in half marathon
Adam Davis and Justin Moy are typical 11-year-old boys who like to eat, play board games and build Legos.
But not many 11-year-olds train for half marathons, let alone volunteer to push their friend the 13.1 miles in a sport wheelchair.
On Sunday, Adam, a sixth-grader from Huntley, will help his buddy, Justin, of Concord, Mass., finish the 15th Annual Chicago Half Marathon and accomplish a feat few people can claim.
“I want him to know what it feels like to run and to know how fun it is,” said Adam, who wants to be a distance runner.
The boys first met last summer when the Moy family visited the Davis family. In April, Adam’s parents, Jennifer and Dan Davis, planned a trip to Boston to watch the 2011 Boston Marathon and also meet up with the Moy family. It was during the race that Dan Davis came up with the idea of running with Justin.
But once the Davises explained the idea to Adam, the younger Davis said he wanted to push Justin because he was his friend.
“It is good for him to show a little compassion to the world and be thankful for what he has,” Jennifer Davis said. “He has mentioned that he wants to keep doing this for other people in other races.”
With the help of Team Hoyt and myTEAM TRIUMPH, Justin will be riding in a specialized wheelchair measured for his weight and size. The race will be the inaugural event for the Chicago chapter of myTEAM TRIUMPH, a not-for-profit organization that enables people with disabilities to participate in endurance events like triathlons and road races.
The participants with disabilities are known as “captains” and the athletes guiding them are known as “angels.”
myTEAM TRIUMPH was inspired by the father-son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt, who for years have participated in marathons across the country together with Dick Hoyt pushing his son in a wheelchair.
Justin, who was diagnosed with congenital muscular dystrophy when he was 6 months old, said he is eager to meet up again with his friend and share the experience of running a half marathon.
“I am very excited to be in Chicago again,” Justin said Thursday. “I am a little bit nervous, but I am pretty enthusiastic.”
Although the boys have been unable to train together, Adam has logged hundreds of miles over the summer with his teammates at St. Catherine of Siena in West Dundee and the Elgin Sharks.
Adam averages between 15 and 20 miles per week and competes in national events. He ran a 5:42 in the 1,500-meter event at nationals at Drake University this year.
Earlier this summer, Adam tried unsuccessfully to run with his 4-year-old sister, Amelia, in a stroller.
“We got to the end of the driveway and she started to cry,” Adam said.
Hopefully, there will only be tears of joy when the friends cross the finish line Sunday.
“It’s amazing. I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like this weekend,” said Justin’s mom, Prow Sarnsethsiri. “I think the boys will have a lot of fun together, participating together and enjoying the scenery along Lake Shore Drive. It will be beautiful.”