The Flying Pig Marathon is expanding the field this year. Organizers have added two new categories. PigWorks President and CEO Iris Simpson Bush says there's now a para-athlete division for all the races.
Simpson Bush says para-athletes were always welcome to enter; now they have their own division. She says PigWorks worked with a group called The Bridge Adaptive to make sure the races were accommodating to the needs of many different athletes.
"Some of them run on what they call blades. I think we are going to have a minimum of one or two who would be in that category," she says. "It was important with The Bridge. Their knowledge, their experience with working with the special needs of athletes. We don't want it to be a barrier."
Like other divisions, the top three finishing para-athletes in all Pig races will get a medal.
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Simpson Bush says the Pig is also opening up the 10K to handcycle entries. Those are three-wheeled cycles cranked by hand, instead of by foot.
"Many of these athletes are so well conditioned, the uphill climbs are within their range, but we want to be sure of their safety as they're coming down," she says. "For not only those athletes, for everybody, because there could potentially be running participants who catch up with them."
Simpson Bush says the handcyclists will start a few minutes ahead of other competitors in the 10K. She says they expect about a dozen entries in that category, and next year it might be expanded to the full and or half marathons.
"So in all of these additional divisions, we just want to be sure they have a positive experience, that their specific needs are met. That's why we call them different divisions, trying to address what might be their needs and anticipate them in advance."
Flying Pig weekend is May 5 through 7.
