
Woodbury runner with cerebral palsy gifted customized running chair
How a 5k in St. Paul gives runners of all abilities the chance to compete
How a 5k in St. Paul gives runners of all abilities the chance to compete
How a 5k in St. Paul gives runners of all abilities the chance to compete
A special road race around Lake Phelan in St. Paul, Minnesota gave runners of all abilities the chance to compete.
In one case, the inaugural Unified 5K race gave a duo the opportunity to start their running journey to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Mark Hulsey from St. Paul and Moses Cooper from Woodbury have a bond that runs deep.
"It's my favorite way of running. There's nothing better than this," said Hulsey. "We just have a wonderful time together, and I check on [Cooper] to make sure he's good and he just inspires the heck out of me to run hard."
They won first place as a duo in Sunday's race.
The Unified 5k is a race series being held around the country in an effort to bring athletes of all abilities together.
For Hulsey and Cooper, this race day was special because they were gifted a customized running chair for Moses, who has cerebral palsy, to use.
"It's very generous. This is a fantastic racing chair and we just want to make sure Mo feels good in it, and I think it worked out pretty good, yeah?" said Hulsey.
"Yeah!" responded Cooper.
Cooper's chair costs around $5,000, but Hoyt Running Chairs and race organizers, AdaptX, gave it to Cooper for free.
"This personally means a lot to me," said Brendan Aylward, executive director of AdaptX. "I run as a duo as well up in Massachusetts with Team Hoyt, so the Hoyt Running Chairs is what helped us make the donation."
These races will continue to fundraise money to give more athletes the equipment they need to compete.
"It shows people there can be a lot more meaning behind the miles that you run," said Aylward.
Hoyt customized Cooper's chair to look like The Flash from DC Comics.
"We're all about The Flash, and so that's where [Cooper] gets his energy from and you pass it on to me?" said Hulsey.
"Yeah!" responded Cooper.
Hulsey and Cooper plan to accomplish big goals with their new running chair.
"We're going to try and the Boston [Marathon] qualifying race in Grandma's Marathon," said Hulsey.
Hulsey hopes more competitors stop looking at running as an individual sport, and compete as a team.
"The moment you get to work with adaptive athletes and bring this opportunity to them, the rewards, you can't even put words to it," said Hulsey. "It's just so spectacular."
Eight other adaptive running duos competed in the Unified 5K on Sunday.
Hulsey and Cooper compete in Grandma's Marathon in Duluth in two weeks.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Associated Press
29 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Giants seek to prolong win streak, take on the Rockies
San Francisco Giants (38-28, second in the NL West) vs. Colorado Rockies (12-53, fifth in the NL West) Denver; Tuesday, 8:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Giants: Kyle Harrison (1-1, 4.34 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 19 strikeouts); Rockies: Carson Palmquist (0-4, 8.50 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 14 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Giants -228, Rockies +187; over/under is 11 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants are looking to build upon a five-game win streak with a victory over the Colorado Rockies. Colorado has a 12-53 record overall and a 6-25 record at home. The Rockies are 4-37 in games when they have given up a home run. San Francisco has a 16-17 record in road games and a 38-28 record overall. The Giants have a 21-4 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents. The teams match up Tuesday for the fifth time this season. The Giants are ahead 3-1 in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Hunter Goodman leads the Rockies with a .280 batting average, and has 14 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 14 walks and 37 RBIs. Tyler Freeman is 13 for 31 with a home run and four RBIs over the past 10 games. Jung Hoo Lee has 17 doubles, two triples and six home runs for the Giants. Heliot Ramos is 13 for 40 with a double, a triple and a home run over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Rockies: 3-7, .224 batting average, 5.13 ERA, outscored by 24 runs Giants: 7-3, .213 batting average, 2.05 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs INJURIES: Rockies: Ezequiel Tovar: 10-Day IL (oblique), Tanner Gordon: 15-Day IL (oblique), Kris Bryant: 60-Day IL (lumbar), Ryan Feltner: 15-Day IL (back), Austin Gomber: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jeff Criswell: 60-Day IL (elbow) Giants: Jung Hoo Lee: day-to-day (back), Jordan Hicks: 15-Day IL (toe), Justin Verlander: 15-Day IL (pectoral), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (back) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.


Associated Press
30 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Twins open 3-game series at home against the Rangers
Texas Rangers (31-35, fourth in the AL West) vs. Minnesota Twins (35-30, second in the AL Central) Minneapolis; Tuesday, 7:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Tyler Mahle (0-0); Twins: TBD BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Twins -124, Rangers +104; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Twins host the Texas Rangers on Tuesday to begin a three-game series. Minnesota has a 35-30 record overall and a 19-10 record in home games. Twins hitters have a collective .387 slugging percentage to rank 10th in the AL. Texas has an 11-22 record in road games and a 31-35 record overall. The Rangers are 16-2 in games when they scored five or more runs. The matchup Tuesday is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs. TOP PERFORMERS: Trevor Larnach has eight doubles, a triple and 10 home runs for the Twins. Willi Castro is 15 for 38 with a double and four home runs over the last 10 games. Wyatt Langford has eight doubles, 11 home runs and 26 RBIs for the Rangers. Marcus Semien is 15 for 32 with three doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 5-5, .269 batting average, 4.69 ERA, outscored opponents by 11 runs Rangers: 4-6, .215 batting average, 2.51 ERA, outscored opponents by 12 runs INJURIES: Twins: Zebby Matthews: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Pablo Lopez: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Luke Keaschall: 60-Day IL (forearm), Michael Tonkin: 60-Day IL (shoulder) Rangers: Jake Latz: day-to-day (hand), Nathan Eovaldi: 15-Day IL (tricep), Joc Pederson: 10-Day IL (hand), Cody Bradford: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jon Gray: 60-Day IL (wrist), Josh Sborz: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.


Associated Press
30 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Reds take win streak into game against the Guardians
Cincinnati Reds (34-33, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Cleveland Guardians (34-31, third in the AL Central) Cleveland; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Andrew Abbott (5-1, 2.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 59 strikeouts); Guardians: Slade Cecconi (1-2, 4.87 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 20 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Guardians -117, Reds -103; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds seek to extend a four-game win streak with a victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland has gone 18-14 in home games and 34-31 overall. The Guardians are 23-3 in games when they out-hit their opponents. Cincinnati has gone 16-17 in road games and 34-33 overall. The Reds have the fifth-ranked team slugging percentage in the NL at .401. The teams match up Tuesday for the fifth time this season. The Reds are ahead 4-0 in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Jose Ramirez has 12 home runs, 24 walks and 32 RBIs while hitting .333 for the Guardians. Nolan Jones is 10 for 23 with a triple and six RBIs over the last 10 games. TJ Friedl leads the Reds with a .295 batting average, and has 11 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 33 walks and 24 RBIs. Tyler Stephenson is 11 for 38 with two home runs and six RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Guardians: 4-6, .234 batting average, 3.24 ERA, outscored by five runs Reds: 6-4, .237 batting average, 3.34 ERA, outscored opponents by nine runs INJURIES: Guardians: Austin Hedges: 7-Day IL (concussion), Andrew Walters: 60-Day IL (lat), Ben Lively: 60-Day IL (forearm), Will Brennan: 10-Day IL (forearm), Paul Sewald: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Shane Bieber: 60-Day IL (elbow), Erik Sabrowski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Trevor Stephan: 60-Day IL (elbow), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow), Sam Hentges: 60-Day IL (shoulder) Reds: Rhett Lowder: 60-Day IL (forearm), Hunter Greene: 15-Day IL (groin), Austin Hays: 10-Day IL (foot), Carson Spiers: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Callihan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Noelvi Marte: 10-Day IL (side), Jeimer Candelario: 10-Day IL (back), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Julian Aguiar: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.