The 2025 Boston Marathon marks 50 years since wheelchair racers were officially included — a milestone in competitive athletics and disability rights. What began in 1975 with a single participant has grown into a premier division featuring world record holders, Paralympians and top international athletes.
Bob Hall’s groundbreaking race
Bob Hall contracted polio at a young age — a life-changing diagnosis that could have defined his limits, but instead helped define his drive. Fifty years ago, he rolled up to the starting line of the Boston Marathon in a racing chair and quietly changed everything.
As highlighted by Move United, Hall approached the Boston Athletic Association in 1975 with a bold request to compete in the Boston Marathon using his wheelchair. The agreement was clear — if he finished in under three hours, he’d earn a finisher’s medal.
Hall’s 2:58:00 finish earned him a medal — and sent a message that wheelchair athletes had a place in marathon racing. Two years later, he returned and shaved 18 minutes off his time, finishing in 2:40:10. That same year, the Boston Marathon introduced a new format, giving wheelchair racers a 15-minute head start — a practice still used today to help ensure safety and flow on the course.
Hall’s impact didn’t stop at the finish line. Jack Dog Welch says that in 1978, Bob Hall launched Hall’s Wheels, where he designed and built lightweight racing chairs tailored to each athlete. His designs, nearly half the weight of his original wheelchair, helped redefine what racing could look like.
A look at how far it’s come
Since Bob Hall’s historic breakthrough, the wheelchair division has become one of the most dynamic parts of the Boston Marathon. What’s unfolded since then is a story of steady momentum — the kind that builds quietly, race by race, until it’s impossible to ignore. Each generation brought something new: record-setting performances, innovative gear and athletes who redefined what racing could be.
Breaking records and opening doors
The 1980s brought a surge in performance and visibility. Boston.com shares that Athletes like Jim Knaub and André Viger reshaped expectations. With every finish, they pushed course records lower, proving that speed, stamina and strategy in wheelchair racing belonged in the same spotlight as the rest of the field. Their performances made it clear that the Marathon was a serious competition, and it was here to stay.
Sharon Hedrick, another trailblazer, rolled down Boylston Street in 3:48:51, becoming the first woman to complete the race in a wheelchair. She later recalled the skepticism she faced at the time: “People at the time, they said, ‘You’re crazy.’” Her response? “Well, why do people climb Mount Everest? Because they want to see if they can do it.” That spirit, that determination, would inspire generations of racers to follow. Building on that momentum, Candace Cable-Brooks became a defining force in the women’s field, winning six times between 1981 and 1988.
Leadership and lasting legacies
By the 1990s, the wheelchair division had grown into something truly formidable. In the same Boston.com article, the decade is described as a turning point — not just in competition, but also in the visibility and structure of the division itself. With Bob Hall now serving as the Boston Marathon’s wheelchair division coordinator, the stage was set for a new generation of athletes to make their mark.
Jean Driscoll became the name to watch. A University of Illinois alumna, she won an incredible eight times between 1990 and 2000, including seven straight victories. Driscoll credited Sharon Hedrick as a major influence, calling her “the standard in women’s wheelchair racing.” That mentorship, coupled with Driscoll’s natural talent and intense training, helped elevate the division’s visibility even further.
During this decade, the sport began attracting more sponsors, gaining media attention and inspiring a wider pool of competitors. These shifts signaled that wheelchair racing had become an integral part of the Boston Marathon’s legacy.
Visibility and representation
For all the medals and records, one of the wheelchair division’s greatest legacies is what it represents. The Boston Marathon puts these athletes front and center, not just on race day, but in the narrative of what elite sport looks like. Seeing a wheelchair racer power through Newton or sprint toward the finish on Boylston Street sends a message to everyone watching — especially kids and young athletes with disabilities — that this is a space where they belong, too.
Over time, that visibility has turned into opportunity. More races across the country and the globe have followed Boston’s lead, creating space for wheelchair athletes to compete, be seen and be celebrated. And while performance will always matter, what’s just as important is the ripple effect — the lives changed simply by seeing someone who looks like you doing something that once seemed out of reach.
Honoring 50 years of progress
This year’s Boston Marathon is more than a finish line moment; it’s a tribute to 50 years of athletes who refused to be sidelined. The 2025 race celebrates every push, pivot and personal record that brought the wheelchair division from the margins to the spotlight.
Race weekend will include special moments to reflect how far the sport has come. Organizers are planning various events, including public tributes along Boylston Street, honorary appearances from past champions, and community panels to highlight the history and future of adaptive racing. Longtime fans and newcomers alike can expect to see photos, racing chairs and memorabilia from every decade, turning the city into a living museum for the sport.
But it’s not just about looking back. These events also honor the people who kept things moving forward — athletes, designers, coaches and race directors who saw potential where others saw limits. Their stories remind us that change doesn’t happen overnight, but through every mile and milestone.
For spectators and participants, it’s a moment to connect past and present. It’s a time to recognize how one quiet start in 1975 grew into a movement that continues to inspire. The anniversary underscores what makes the Boston Marathon special: not just speed, but the strength of a shared story still in motion.
Rolling forward
Fifty years of wheelchair racing at the Boston Marathon is more than a celebration of endurance — it celebrates evolution. From Bob Hall’s pioneering start to the elite field seen today, every athlete, designer and supporter has helped shape a story still being written. As the sport looks ahead, the message remains clear: this race, and the movement it represents, will keep moving forward — one roll at a time.
Jennifer Allen, retired chef turned traveler, cookbook author and writer, shares her adventures and travel tips at All The Best Spots. Living at home with her family — and the cats that rule them all — her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Seattle Times, MSN and more.