By: Troy Pruett and Kelly “K2” Richards (Excerpts from Troy’s book, “Just Roll With It Troy”)
In June 2022, I toed the line at the Banff Marathon. When the starter’s gun sounded the legs did not move. The April 23, 2022, Nashville Marathon would be my last running marathon. After the attempted Banff marathon my wife Laura and I went horseback riding. During the dismount the right leg went berserk, and I fell into a puddle of horse piss. As I lay there, I realized I needed to see a doctor.
After months of testing, in January 2023, the neurologist says, “I’m sorry to gut punch you, but you have ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).” The neuro then says, “You’re lucky, you have good ALS.” What the hell? I’m in tears and you’re telling me I’m lucky? I have “the good” ALS?
ALS is always fatal. Most die between 2-5 years from symptom onset. ALS slowly paralyzes the entire body, and you die from respiratory failure. My symptom onset occurred in January 2020, so I will die by 2024. “Good ALS” life expectancy can be more than 10 years. I do not feel lucky…
My running days are over, and I believed two running goals would not be accomplished. Complete 100 marathons (I had run 93) and obtain the World Marathon Majors (WMM) 6-star (only Tokyo remained). In March of 2023, I didn’t think I had options. What can a progressively paralyzed person reasonably accomplish? The list of can’t dos is longer than Santa’s Naughty List. I resigned myself to the recliner, television, and computer games.
ALS is considered a military service-connected disability. I am extremely thankful to have the Veterans Affairs (VA) support. The veteran support services are expansive. Disability compensation, home adaptations, wheelchair accessible transportation, durable medical equipment, adaptive recreational equipment, and full medical coverage.
For no reason what-so-ever, I thought I could ride a trike. I asked the VA Recreational Therapist about an e-trike, and not long after I had a shiny new green recumbent e-trike. Which I still use.
In June 2023, I wondered if the WMM goal and 100 marathon goal could be completed.
I found several local events that allowed Duo-Team participation (racing push chair with a rider and a pusher) and found dozens of volunteers from my running club (Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers) willing to provide support. My VA Recreational Therapist, after hearing my running history and unmet goals, went to work. Not long after, the VA provided a shiny purple duo racing chair (aka, The Purple Peanut).
I researched the Tokyo Marathon entry requirements and learned that of the six WMMs, only Tokyo prohibited disabled athlete participation as a Duo-Team. I contacted WMMs to apply for an exception. Maybe WMMs will have success, but no.
WMMs stated, “Tokyo will not allow certain disabilities to participate in the marathon. We do not set the entry criteria of each marathon as this is done by each marathon, and the Abbott World Marathon Majors cannot control entry criteria. We are currently working with Tokyo to try and understand their criteria and inclusion of participants with a disability. This will take time and will not happen before next year’s event, but we will keep you informed how the conversations progress. To achieve a star, runners must compete on the official course on race day within the designated time limit as stated by the race organizer. The physical race is a key part of the overall major’s experience and enjoyment for runners, which we want to uphold to allow a fair and equal playing field for all participants on their six-star journey.” In essence, it would not be fair to the able-bodied runners if the disabled do not have to complete Tokyo.
I have never been swayed by a bureaucratic “NO.” I decided to write a letter to the title sponsor, Abbott Pharmaceutical. I am a 100 percent disabled veteran. My concern/request is generically applicable to a broad spectrum of the disabled community. I requested Abbott Human Recourses review Abbott’s association with the Tokyo Marathon. I also asked that Abbott implement an exception for disabled athletes denied event participation.
This letter rang a bell(s). Fearing a lawsuit (which I never threatened), Abbott leaned on the WMMs to develop a solution. Initially, WMMs began work on a policy to recognize participants completing fewer than 6-stars. As part of this effort WMMs offered me a slot in the 2024 New York marathon as they developed the program. While not the same as completing Tokyo, I graciously accepted the offer.
Concurrently, WMMs reinitiated talks with the Tokyo Marathon staff to develop a path forward for duo-teams. To my total surprise, WMMs reached an agreement with Tokyo Marathon for a 5-year pilot duo-team program. WMMs invited me to the inaugural duo-team participation at the 2025 Tokyo Marathon.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A WELL WRITTEN LETTER.
I resumed marathoning with the help of the WMMs, Achilles International, and superstar Colton at the 2024 New York City Marathon. With the help of many stars from the local running community (Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers, Blaze Trails Running, Wrath Racing, Dallas Marathon, and Cowtown Marathon) I finished 5 marathons in 5 months. The first duo-team marathon is NYC, with Colton pushing.
Travel logistics are stressful for everyone. Now exponentially multiply the level of difficulty for the athlete with disability (AWD). Walking, even with a rollator, is a non-starter. I’ll have two wheelchairs, will need attendants, will have to find a person to push for the entire distance, plus I have no concept of logistics (plane, hotel, cabs, race-day, etc.). What do you do with a massive problem/task? Research, then break the big ugly into tiny pieces.
How do you travel with a large 417-pound wheelchair? How do I get the race chair to/from Tokyo? More research. Numerous websites and social media pages describe many horrors of careless treatment of power wheelchairs by airline staff. I decided not to trust the airline with a $25,000 wheelchair. After thinking through alternatives (manual chair or rent a chair) I decided to purchase a power travel chair. Travel chairs fold up, fit in the plane’s onboard dedicated wheelchair closet, are reasonably light-weight, and provide flexibility for Uber and taxi vehicles.
Now, how to get the chairs on the plane? More research. I’m surprised to learn federal law requires wheelchairs to fly free! The race chair manufacturer also makes shipping containers, and I added a soft sided, yet sturdy, container (The Coffin) to my ever-growing collection of things I never knew existed or wanted. More tiny pieces come together.
Each race has its own rules regarding pushers. For the WMMs only one pusher for the entire distance. This is a big ask. I knew Kelly “K2” Richards (past RRCA Board member) wanted to run Tokyo, but would she want to “push” Tokyo? I sent K2 a text and within seconds I received an enthusiastic YES!
K2: I was out for a run in Minnesota when I received the text. When I returned to my mom’s house, I was sweaty, out of breath and simultaneously laughing, crying and yelling nonsensically about Tokyo, Troy and the Purple Peanut. My confused mom wasn’t sure if I was hurt, happy or had totally lost my mind! I’ve run marathons. A lot of them, but in the past. I hadn’t run one since 2019, and I just agreed to run one while pushing a 6’4” man in a custom-built chair called the Purple Peanut, that I’d never seen before, in a race with strict cutoffs held in a different country for the purpose of a close friend to achieve a big goal! Yes, I was out of my head with terrified excitement!
Many days of training ensued. Every pusher looks at the Peanut and thinks, “This does not look that difficult.” Then within seconds of pushing every pusher says, “This is harder than it looks.” The chair plus rider is 280 pounds. There is no steering. To turn the pusher must muscle the chair to turn. The brake will slow but not stop the chair. The emergency brake is a tether connecting the chair and pusher. Fall and you are dragged behind the chair. Downhills a wickedly fast and uphills are grueling.
Travel plans require more research. There are forms to be completed for each wheelchair, weights to be determined, dimensions to be taken, and battery specifications and instructions to obtain.
D-Day. The stress is palpable. So many things can go terribly wrong. On the morning of, friends and family volunteered to get us and a large amount of gear to the airport. At this point I have no control from getting in the car to getting on the plane.
Getting from vehicle to counter goes smoothly. Sweetie (Laura) presents all the paperwork and IDs to the Delta agent. Remarkably the Delta staff are exceptionally courteous and helpful. They even ensured we had an escort all the way through security. Check-in is a great experience.
Now to TSA. To my surprise barriers are moved and we are directed to the front of the line. Sweetie places all the stuff on the belt and walks through. Soon, a TSA agent provides a full body rub down and I’m allowed to power through. Probably the shortest security wait time I’ve ever had.
Early boarding for wheelchairs and we are first to board. Because I have the power travel chair I am allowed to ride the chair directly to the plane opening. Two wheelchair attendants and a flight attendant are waiting for us to arrive. In a flash I’m transferred from travel chair to airplane isle chair to my first class first row seat. The transition happened so fast I didn’t have time to stress about all that can go wrong. Laura gets the travel chair folded and the wheelchair attendants place the chair in the onboard wheelchair closet. Again, Team Delta gets an A-Plus.
We were all uneasy about getting from the plane, through customs, in the uber, and checked in to the hotel room. I did more research. I thought getting The Coffin, baggage, and people from airport to hotel might be an issue. I provided several car services with detailed luggage and people specifications. I found one that said, “not a problem” and booked the service.
The airport staff in Japan were top notch. A dedicated person met us on the plane and stayed with us until loaded in the car. Nowhere have I received such exceptional attention. We were whisked through customs, the sherpas (Laura, daughter Jessica and K2) collected the baggage, and now to find the driver.
Ut-oh. The car service driver took one look and refused to take us. He doesn’t speak English, so our airport person helps translate. He says the gear will not fit. This is precisely why I provided all the specifications. After more than an hour of talking with the dispatcher we convinced the driver to at least try. Turns out his large van/SUV fits everything with room to spare. So frustrating. The car service then cancelled the return to airport service leaving us in a bind in Tokyo.
Because Tokyo 2025 is the first pilot for duo-teams, much coordination occurs between the duo-teams, WMM’s, and the Tokyo organizers. We all want a successful and safe outcome. Tokyo organizers have a pre-race meeting to meet the support guides, review rules, and let them become familiar with duo chairs. We learn we will start with the wheelchair participants. A head start!
K2: Finding out that we’d get to start at the front and not the back, like we had thought, was incredibly welcome news! Besides the concerns with logistics, we wouldn’t be spending any precious time in a corral waiting to start – this is very significant, because the cutoffs at Tokyo (they have them at multiple points) are based on gun time, and the cutoffs are tighter in the first half of the race. It was like gaining a 45-minute cushion! Starting before the runners made for a neat and wild race experience. One minute we had six lanes of open road next to and in front of us. The next, we heard thousands of footsteps. We watched every inch of the road fill up with racers. Within minutes we were in a sea of shorts and singlets.
During the meeting I explained our airport transfer dilemma and the need to find a ride to the airport. The Tokyo Marathon organizers jumped into action and reserved a return trip car service for our departure day, greatly taking a major stress item of our plate.
Because I have ALS my race chair is designed to adapt to my future loss of muscle function. The race chair can be fitted with different sized bollards to keep my body and head upright and has room to carry a breathing machine if needed. My chair is remarkably different from the other sleek low-profile duo-team race chairs. The Japanese physical and occupational therapists supporting the race were very curious about my race chair. So, I invited them to take the race chair out for a roll. They were all impressed by the ride comfort and the amount of strength needed to push and turn. Afterwards they were extremely impressed with K2’s capabilities given she is the only female pusher.
Marathon 98 was the Tokyo Marathon. FINALLY! Covid tried to stop me. The Tokyo Marathon tried to stop me. The WMMs tried to stop me. ALS tried to stop me. And yet, here I am at the start line. HAVE HOPE. KEEP YOUR DREAMS. ADAPT AND OVERCOME!
The marathon provided two Japanese/English speaking support guides per team. After some trial and error, we quickly worked out the safest placement for our guides. The guides were enthusiastic, supportive, and helpful throughout the marathon. K2 does an amazing job, although there are quite a few orange cones that may argue that point. She never gave up or lost hope. I’m sure the loud cheers of Fatio (Fight-you got this), Ganbare (Do your best), and Sugoi (Awesome), even if we didn’t know the meaning at the time kept K2 rolling. That, and the pit stop for coke and fresh strawberries. The spectators were LOUD and ENTHUSIASTIC! All the duo-teams were overwhelmingly welcomed all 26.2 miles.
K2: Ha, no comment on the cones! The strawberries and Coca-Cola gave me new life, and the spectators were amazing, but what I loved most were all the runners who encouraged us. Dozens of racers gave Troy a high-five, took selfies with him and gave words of encouragement in a dozen different languages. I cried more than once but eventually pulled myself together. I did not have extra energy to use on tears even if they were happy ones!
K2 and I achieved many firsts at the Tokyo Marathon:
- First duo-team event.
- First female pusher.
- First mixed gender team.
- First grand master duo-team.
- My first 6-STAR Medal!
The duo-team participation is a big success. The organizers were impressed with the teams, the spectators and runners loved seeing the duo-teams, and the news coverage is highly favorable. For 2026, the second pilot of duo-teams occurs, with equally positive results. After the second successful pilot, the Tokyo Marathon decides to make duo-teams a permanent racing division within the marathon starting in 2027. All because one person with ALS and a dream said no to no.
K2: I believe that the Tokyo Marathon and by extension differently abled athletes around the world benefited greatly from Troy’s participation in the inaugural year of the duo pilot. He is meticulous, detailed and incredibly thorough. As requested, he provided feedback – seven pages of typed notes on our experience. His feedback was so precise that they didn’t need additional information, or have any questions.
After only two years of the five-year pilot program, as recently announced, the 2027 Tokyo Marathon will have an official Duo Team Division, a new marathon para-athlete division and entry categories for people with disabilities. All because a persistent man chose hope then fought for the reasons to have it.
Troy’s book, Just Roll with It is available on Amazon.
Troy believed his running goals ended when diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS-Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in 2023. With the help of his wife, family and dozens of volunteers to push his racing wheelchair, Troy overcame numerous obstacles and made a personal transformation on his way to Tokyo to earn his World Marathon Majors 6-Star medal. Troy’s team of volunteers kept pushing until he completed his 100th marathon at the 2026 Dallas Marathon.
Before his ALS diagnosis, Troy overcame a terribly horrendous beginning to running and even found himself completing his first marathon at the 2004 Fort Worth, Texas, Cowtown Marathon. Troy went on to competitively run 93 marathons and ultramarathons, several triathlons, an Ironman triathlon, and represented the United States at the Triathlon Long Course World Championships.