Able bodied folks in wheelchair races ?

[Doctordec]

This question came up in my running group last week and nobody had an answer so I have come to the Dopers. Could an able bodied person with no physical disability buy a wheelchair and race in the wheelchair class in a marathon ? One of my fellow runners said he saw a major crash one time in a race and one of the wheelchair competitors got up and ran back to his chair.

I’m not planning on doing it…just curious.

[DonJorge]

It depends on the event you will be competing. If the rules state that you have to have a disability, then it will be illegal. I remember in the last Paralimpics there was a big stir when a team from Spain was disqualified when it was discovered they were not actually physically disabled…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/other_sports/newsid_1071000/1071059.stm

[DonJorge]

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by DonJorge *
**… they were not actually physically disabled…

.:smack:

Please change that to “they were not actually disabled”. They were claiming a mental handicap… However, the point stands: you are supposed to be disabled to compete

[Threadkiller]

I would depend on the race. But apparently not

Wheelchair Division An open class T1-2 and T3-4 event for men and women, who use wheelchairs in sport and have completed the marathon distance in a qualified time, within the allotted calendar time frame. This division follows the rules and guidelines as defined by Wheelchair Sports USA and the International Stoke-Mandeville Games Federation. According to these Rules, the Wheelchair Division of the Boston Marathon is reserved for athletes classified as having a disability. Able-bodied individuals may not participate in the Wheelchair Division.

[Bolding mine]

I once heard Curt Brinkman give a speech. He was/is pretty good

The 1980 Boston Marathon reached a significant turning point. Curt Brinkman of Orem, Utah, became the first male to break two hours (1:55:00) and the first wheelchair athlete ever to outpace nondisabled runners by beating Bill Rogers (2: 12:11).

I really don’t think that it would/should matter as someone confined to a wheelchair has several advantages.[ul]* They are more used to controlling the thing.

• They have built up the upper body strength and endurance required.
• Hi Opal!
• They (often) have no or atrophied legs which equals less (wasted) mass to push around.[/ul]Brinkman lost his legs in an incident involving a 40 foot aluminum pipe and a power line.

[running_coach]

Dont know the rules but several years ago Runner’s World magazine published an article by a fellow who trained to do a race in a wheelchair. Needless to say he was at a MAJOR disadvantage racing against those who had been doing this for years.(Dont know the issue,need to dig through years of back issues to find)