Every morning for nearly a year, Shaun Evans has risen at 4 a.m. to run on his treadmill. His immediate goal was to get in as many miles as he could before leaving for work as a physical therapist. His overriding goal was to train for a cross-country marathon in which he is pushing his son's wheelchair from Minnesota to Louisiana.
"People ask me, 'How do you do this?' " Evans said. "I like to say that with the right inspiration, anything is possible. Shamus has shown me together we can do it."
Evans, who lives in upstate New York, and his son Shamus, who has cerebral palsy, left Moorhead, Minn., on Saturday after a 5K there, with the rest of the family following closely in an RV. Once they arrive in the Twin Cities, they will run the length of the Mississippi River, 1,700 miles to Lake Charles, La., hoping to arrive by July 29.
They expect to reach the Twin Cities on Wednesday and will attend a Twins game, where they will present three running wheelchairs to families from the area.
Evans, 38, is a seasoned runner, but Shamus' job is to motivate his dad from his running chair. Together, they've gone to hundreds of locations and traversed thousands of miles, all to raise awareness about inclusivity in endurance events.
Shamus, 11, has been riding along on his father's runs since he was old enough to sit in a stroller. "He's not the kind of kid who wants to sit on the sidelines and spectate," Evans said.
In 2013, Shamus asked his father if the two of them could participate in the Sweltering 6 Hour Ultra Marathon, which is held in mid-August in Massachusetts. With the help of the California-based Ainsley's Angels of America, which builds awareness about inclusion for the special needs community, they were able to get Shamus a running chair. The duo ended up winning by completing 45 miles in the allotted time.
What was next? Bigger excursions.
