Disability advocates celebrate inaugural inclusion of e-mobility devices in Twin Cities Marathon | MPR News

Oct 17, 2024

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As excitement builds over this weekend’s Twin Cities Marathon, athletes are looking forward to hitting the pavement, but maybe none more than Quinn Brett.

Brett first ran the marathon two decades ago. This year, the University of Minnesota graduate and professional climber is back in the race for the first time since becoming paralyzed from the waist down in a 2017 climbing accident. That accident opened her eyes to how society views people with differing ability levels.

“As a person who was free to roam this earth wherever I wanted, going on unclimbed summits and realizing that I still can't get into the bathrooms in a lot of our cities, it was pretty astounding to realize the state of where we're at. Yes, we have these laws to support people with disabilities, but we're not quite following through with all of them quite yet,” Brett told MPR News Thursday.

She, alongside Minneapolis-based nonprofit Unite 2 Fight Paralysis, raises money for education and advocacy around spinal cord research to improve the quality of life for people like Brett.

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“Any able-bodied runner could easily run the marathon and sign up and raise money for our organization, but our own community was unable to participate because at the moment, most marathons across the nation only allow elite racing wheelchair users,” Brett said.

The Twin Cities Marathon used to allow regular handcycles, but paused the program a long time ago, according to Brett. Now for the first time, the work of advocates and the nonprofit has resulted in electric handcycles being approved by Twin Cities Marathon organizers for disabled participants. Brett said, in addition to a battery boost, the three- or four-wheeled equipment is less unwieldy and cheaper than elite racing wheelchairs.

In those wheelchairs, “you have to sit in a very aggressive position, like a kneeling position, and it also just requires that you are super fit, that you have full functioning arms, for instance, and a lot of our community doesn't have full functioning arms, and a battery is something that's super helpful,” Brett explained.

Further, the Twin Cities Marathon’s pilot allows participants to use any mobility device they already have, including e-assisted devices — the first marathon to do so nationwide. However, Brett said there are just five spaces allotted, as organizers say they are assessing the “safety considerations” of handcycles.

While the inclusion is “amazing” Brett pointed to the fact it’s only now aligning with the legal definition of a wheelchair, which includes both manually powered and battery-powered options. Still, she hopes other marathons will consider allowing more mobility devices.

“I just want to do this race with my cousin, and I don't want to actually be an elite athlete and be racing at the front and trying to win anything,” she said. “I just want to casually stroll alongside my family or my friends, and so this is a huge win for us.”