A Step Ahead Prosthetics is proud to share the announcement of the first Bionic5k race that will be held April 29 in Harvard Square, Cambridge. Race founders, Will Borden and Hugh Herr are long-time patients of A Step Ahead Prosthetics in Burlington, MA. Several A Step Ahead patients will be joining the race such as Mark Webb, and Brian Reynolds from A Step Ahead Prosthetics.
“The 5k is the No. 1 race distance in the United States – in 2016, 17,000 5k races were held in the U.S.,” said organizer Will Borden, a day school history teacher. “Typical races include one or two disabled athletes in a large crowd of participants. We believe we can do something different.”
All are welcome to participate, from able-bodied runners to walkers and children, but the Bionic5K’s focus is on runners with prosthetics or even such things as an artificial hip or medically upgraded knee. Two of the three-race founders – Borden and Hugh Herr – are amputees (and Herr, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is among the world’s top biomechatronics scientists) and proceeds from donations and the $40 race fee are earmarked to benefit the nonprofit Bionic Project, which advances prosthetic technologies and accessibility of resources to people overcoming physical challenges. The final race founder is restaurateur Matthew Curtis.
“By assembling a critical mass of amputee and disabled runners, we can break down barriers and normalize the experience of running alongside people with significant adaptations,” Borden said. “We hope that this truly inclusive race will not only bring different types of runners together but also bring new people into the running community – encouraging those who might ordinarily shy away from a 5k because of disability to join.”
The Bionic5K begins at 9:30 a.m. at 41 Church St., Harvard Square, and stretches 5,000 meters along Brattle Street with a loop around Lakeview Avenue, Huron Street, and Lexington Avenue to send runners back. Registration continues until that morning, but registrants get a private number pickup party from 5 to 8 p.m. April 27 at Curtis’ Cambridge 1 restaurant; there will also be a post-race Bionic5K Race Party for T-shirt pickup and awards. Information is here.
About Bionic5k
Two of the three founders of the Bionic5K are amputees. One is a teacher who specializes in technology. The other is the world’s leading scientist in Biomechatronics at MIT. The third founder has staged and directed 5K races in Harvard Square from 2011-2016. All of which means this is going to be a great event that changes the world for the better. All proceeds from donations and the $40 race fee will benefit the Bionic Project Inc, a non-profit whose mission is to help advance new prosthetic technologies and to broaden the access to resources that promote active lifestyles and athletics for those who must overcome physical challenges.
Source: http://www.cambridgeday.com/2018/04/04/bionic5k-wants-to-fill-city-streets-april-29-with-runners-with-prosthetics-other-aids/
