Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams visits with Jordan Lee, left, a junior at Lamar High School, and other race participants.
Runner and race director Shea Needham dreams big. Her goal is to host the largest road race for people with mixed abilities, with a particular focus on providing a welcoming event for athletes with physical challenges.
Needham doesn't want to host the largest race in the Metroplex or even the largest in the state. She wants to turn the Lone Star Half Marathon into the largest mixed-abilities race, period. And the American Dream City is helping her do it.
The Lone Star Half Marathon and Mayor's 5K on April 24, 2016 started and ended at the Levitt Pavilion. The race mission is to provide a competitive running event for people of mixed abilities.
After participating in running events across the country, the Arlington native noticed a lack of races designed for adaptive athletes. So Needham worked with a nonprofit to put the first Lone Star race in place before her company took over the event last year. This year's race, held on April 24, benefited Arlington ISD, and its proceeds will go toward the purchase of adaptive sports equipment, such as racing wheelchairs, to build a sports program for students with physical disabilities in the school district.
Now in its third year, the Lone Star Half Marathon and accompanying Mayor's 5K attracted about 700 racers. Prior to the event, Needham reached out to different groups and boosted the number of adaptive athletes from one last year to 25 in Sunday's race, including Lamar High School junior Jordan Lee who recently took up track.
One of the organizations that Needham contacted was Baker Orthotics & Prosthetics, which became a sponsor and put together a team of 32 racers that included patients and staff for the 5K.
The money raised from the event will go to University of Texas at Arlington's Adaptive Sports Program and Arlington ISD Athletics.
On Baker's tight-knit team was Andre Lampkin, 28, of Bedford. While he's primarily a sprinter and is looking to place in a short-distance race at the Texas Regional Paralympic Games next week, the former football player loves being active. Receiving prosthetic legs made a huge difference in his life. "It felt good, to be able to be active versus sitting a in a wheelchair all day," he said. "It's been a blessing."
At the Levitt Pavilion Sunday morning, friends, family and volunteers cheered as racers neared the finish line. Volunteers handed athletes water and medals after they completed their race. Appropriately, a likeness of Arlington's DREAM sculpture was imprinted on the half marathon awards, serving as a reminder of what Arlington is all about.
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