Posted on October 21, 2021
Wheelchair, handcycle racers return for Amway River Bank Run
Grand Rapids, Mich. – After cancellation of the in-person race in 2020 and postponement of the 2021 event from May to October, racers are excited and ready for the 44th Amway River Bank Run. Over two dozen wheelchair and handcycle athletes from across the United States will compete on Saturday.
The River Bank Run is the largest road race in the country and the only race in the world to offer a 25K wheelchair division. The wheelchair and handcycle divisions prove exciting for bystanders as push rim racers reach speeds of 20 mph and handcyclists go over 30 mph. These races begin at 9:15 a.m.
Many of Mary Free Bed’s handcycle team members will participate again this year, including Steve Chapman of Cedar Springs. Chapman, 56, sustained a spinal cord injury at the age of 19 in a dirt bike crash.
While it took him time to adjust to life using a wheelchair, Chapman discovered adaptive sports and has spent the last 36 years becoming an accomplished para-athlete. He travels the country to race handcycles and this year took second place in the Boston Marathon. Outside racing, Steve works at TopEnd Wheelchairs, an adaptive sports equipment company, has a 21-year-old son, mentors newly injured individuals and volunteers at Mary Free Bed’s Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp.
“It’s been hard keeping up with the intensive training without these races over the pandemic,” Chapman said. “I’m really excited for my local 25k to race and compete with others.”
This is the 31st consecutive year that the Mary Free Bed Guild has sponsored the wheelchair division and the 15th for the handcycle division. The athletes from nine states will race for $29,200 in prize money between the two divisions.
