My life changed when I was introduced to the Special Olympics and Best Buddies while I was in high school. Through these organizations, I met hundreds of incredible people, but perhaps none more important to me than a boy named Jacob. I became his caregiver when I was 19, and in 2014, we began running together.
In our first race, we were fortunate to cross paths with a representative from Team Hoyt New England. Later that year, Jacob and I had the opportunity to run with Team Hoyt; the start of our team’s story and my pursuit to make the fitness industry more inclusive and carry on the mission of Rick and Dick to make endurance sports more accessible.
“What Brendan is doing is unbelievable. He is pioneering the idea that athletes of all abilities can seamlessly coexist in a traditional fitness center” – Dick Hoyt
Over the last decade, Jacob and I have run more than 100 races together, culminating with our biggest achievement to date, running the 2024 Boston Marathon. This spring, our trip from Hopkinton to Boylston Street will be equally special, wearing the honorary Rick and Dick Hoyt bib.
My life’s work is dedicated to making fitness accessible for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. Individuals with disabilities face significant barriers to physical activity—not because of their abilities or desire to participate, but because of inaccessible environments, uninformed societal beliefs, and a lack of education among decision makers. The Unified 5k, and our work at AdaptX exists to challenge these barriers.
Seven years ago we set out to prove that there is a demand and need for inclusive and accessible road races when we launched the Unified 5k in Massachusetts. The race has demonstrated that people with disabilities want to, and will, participate when given the opportunity and support. That is why our event has tripled in size and 10X’d in fundraising since our inaugural race.
We have proven that the model works. Now, we are ready to scale the Unified 5k to communities around the country in 2025 to educate, raise awareness and create more opportunities for people with and without disabilities to cross the finish line.
A small local charity road race changed my life – we hope that the Unified 5k series can change yours.
I invite you to join me and our network of advocates and allies on our continued journey to effect real and positive change in our communities. Find a Unified 5k near you and sign-up today!
