2024 Boston Marathon Recap with Duo, Shamus and Shaun Evans
In this episode, father–son duo Shaun and Shamus Evans share how their family turned running into a platform for disability inclusion and adaptive sports. Shamus, who has cerebral palsy and uses a power wheelchair, and Shaun, a physical therapist and Senior VP of Programs at Ainsley’s Angels of America, retrace their journey from stroller miles to qualifying as a duo team at Sackets Harbor (2:59, despite a broken handlebar) and finally lining up for their first Boston Marathon together. They explain how racing as a duo blends competition and advocacy, why representation matters at major events, and how inclusive divisions and race-day logistics can (and should) evolve to welcome more rider–athletes.
Beyond Boston, the Evanses unpack two transcontinental runs, 56 miles a day for 60 days, to gift freedom running chairs and raise awareness for inclusive endurance sports. We talk weathering brutal races like Marine Corps Marathon in cold downpours, building resilience and optimism, and the everyday work of accessibility - community allyship, inclusive coaching, and creating opportunities beyond race day through Ainsley’s Angels’ Ally Development Program. If you’re interested in adaptive running, accessible fitness, and inclusive event design, this conversation is a blueprint for turning miles into impact, while keeping joy, family, and community at the center.
Episode 50 - Shaun and Shamus Evans
Brendan Aylward (00:00.295)
All right, welcome to the AdaptX Podcast where we have individuals who are building accessible businesses, advocating for inclusion or excelling in adaptive sports. Our intention is never to speak on behalf of those with disabilities, but provide a platform to share their voice and amplify their ideas to a more accessible world. Today we are joined by Sean and Shamus Evans, a father and son duo from Galway, a small town in upstate New York.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (00:01.334)
Yeah, whatever you want. Skip what you want.
Brendan Aylward (00:28.359)
In addition to being a physical therapist, Sean is senior vice president of programs with Ainsley's Angels of America. Shamus was born with cerebral palsy, which has resulted in him using a power wheelchair for mobility. Although Shamus may have some physical limitations, his ability to dream big is limitless. He and his father have run thousands of miles together and have participated in hundreds of races. The team has a passion for promoting inclusion and took on two transcontinental runs to spread awareness about inclusivity.
This past Monday, they participated in their first Boston Marathon together, which I am excited to talk about more. So Sean and Shamus, thank you for joining me.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (01:01.846)
Thanks for having us.
Brendan Aylward (01:03.751)
All right, yeah, maybe we'll start with Boston because I think that will be like the the first topic that we'll probably promote since it's fresh in everyone's minds so maybe take us through the process of When did you first want to run Boston? Why did you want to run Boston and how did you qualify to run Boston?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (01:25.014)
Yeah, so yeah, you say it's fresh. Fresh in our minds, it's still fresh in my legs too. I ran Boston for the first time in 2003 as an individual. Now that was before Shamus was even born. Shamus was born in 2006. Kind of like every runner, you know, not every, but a lot of runners have that as a goal to want to run Boston. And I was the same way when I was running as an individual. I ran Boston six consecutive times through 2008.
Brendan Aylward (01:27.943)
Mm -hmm. Yeah, absolutely.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (01:53.686)
And then I started chasing faster times. I was looking for faster courses to run on. Ended up running a 226 marathon in Vermont City Marathon in 2009. That was the fastest I ever got. Fast forward a couple years. Shamus had been training with me since he was basically old enough to sit in his jogging stroller. I guess that would have been 2007. He would have been a year old. But in 2013 Shamus decided that he wanted to start running races together, which I thought was a great idea.
We got some new wheels that allowed for his growing body to be more comfortable. We got those from Ainsley's Angels and once Shamus got those new wheels we did start racing together. And I would say in the back of my mind at that time, you know, knowing that Dick and Rick had done it 37 times or whatever it was, that hopefully Shamus and I would be able to get there someday. I don't know.
that Shamus knew about it at that time, but we ran our first marathon together. We ran an altar marathon together in 2013, and I guess that was the first time that we really covered a lot of distance. Do you remember specifically when Boston entered your mind? Oh, you know what it probably was? At the Louisiana Marathon in 2015, we had the opportunity to meet Dave McGilvery, who was the keynote speaker at the Louisiana Marathon. And...
He had found out that we were getting ready and preparing for our first transcontinental run from Seattle to New York City. And of course, Dave had done the same thing in 1978. He ran from Medford, Oregon to Medford, Massachusetts. So there was a special place in his heart for what we were getting ready to attempt. And he brought us each some Boston Marathon apparel and presented us with that on stage.
Brendan Aylward (03:45.639)
That was cool.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (03:48.886)
as he delivered his keynote speech. And I would say that's probably when Shamus was really introduced to Boston.
Brendan Aylward (03:54.983)
Yeah, so that was eight or nine years ago in Shamus at the time. You weren't old enough to run Boston. So there is the 18 year old minimum for riders as well. So you recently just turned 18, right? And that allowed you guys the opportunity to do it. So you ran a qualifying race back in August or September. When was Sackets? Yeah, when was Sackets?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (04:00.63)
Yeah.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (04:07.734)
Yes.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (04:17.462)
Yeah, you want to talk about the qualifying? Yeah. Yeah. So that was Labor Day weekend in Sacketts Harbor. And this was the first time that they were running the race. So it was not, there weren't too many people there, which was good because going around people in big marathons is a bit of a challenge and can take up time. So when we're trying to qualify.
having that minimal people there was a little bit helpful and then So we started out really good We had a great pace and then around mile nine our chair broke the handlebar snapped clean off and My dad had to push the chair from way lower than
than where he was used to. So he ended up running the rest of the 17 miles from down low and we still qualified with a time of 2 .59.
Brendan Aylward (05:32.199)
That's awesome. Impressive feat for both of you, I'm sure. I was actually looking at it.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (05:34.678)
So it was interesting because it was the first time they had run a marathon. I just reached out to the race director and explained who we were and what we were attempting to do. And they welcomed us with open arms. And we were so grateful for that because originally we had planned to run the Buffalo Marathon. And I did that. I had registered for that because that was where I first qualified as an individual. I thought it would be neat to go back and qualify there as a team.
After I had reached out to the Buffalo race director, he had actually invited Shamus and I to be the keynote speakers for their dinner and we were going to sign books at their expo. And then Shamus' Odyssey of the Mind team qualified for Worlds, the World Finals last year. So we had to postpone our plans and change our plans. So I reached out to Sackets Harbor kind of last minute, just maybe six weeks before the race. And again, they welcomed us with open arms. So it all worked out really, really well.
Brendan Aylward (06:31.719)
There's a qualifying window for Boston that ends like mid September. And I only know because like the other night I was looking at what would qualify Jacob and I possibly for like 2025. And I think we have to run before September 15th or something. So Sacketts, you said Sacketts is Labor Day weekend, isn't Buffalo a little bit later in the fall?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (06:45.91)
Right, right.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (06:51.638)
Buffalo is actually Memorial Day weekend. So when I was marathoning as an individual, I used to double. I used to do Boston and then five or six weeks later I would do Buffalo. But yeah, I mean, I'd recommend Sackett's Harbor definitely. It's an out and back course. A little bit uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back. And yeah, I mean, it worked out really, really well for us. And the great thing about Sackett's Harbor,
Brendan Aylward (06:54.631)
Oh, okay, all right, okay, so that would have been...
Brendan Aylward (07:02.439)
Buffalo.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (07:18.646)
Like you mentioned, there's that window for qualifying for Boston. Well, Sacketts Harbor falls in the window that qualifies you for two years. So if you're between the 1st and 15th of September, I think you get a two year qualifier or, you know, whatever it is, 18 months. So we are actually qualified at Sacketts Harbor for 2025 as well.
Brendan Aylward (07:31.015)
Yeah, yeah. Yep.
Brendan Aylward (07:36.263)
Perfect, yeah, that works out perfectly. So maybe we'll transition to Boston this year. Shamus, what was your favorite part of the weekend? I guess I know you guys kind of came in late because you had a competition, so you didn't really get there until Sunday. But maybe what was your favorite part of the race?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (07:50.294)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (07:55.222)
Definitely the crowd. With most marathons that I run, it feels like the time that it takes, but at Boston, with the crowd and all the energy and the positivity, it did not feel like we were out there for almost three hours. It went by very fast.
Brendan Aylward (08:17.959)
Yeah, the crowds are crazy. The crowds are insane. I actually almost found that. Oh, go ahead.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (08:19.702)
Yeah.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (08:24.118)
I was just gonna say one of the things that he said to me was, dad, it feels like we're at the finish line of every other marathon the whole way.
Brendan Aylward (08:30.759)
Yeah, exactly the whole way. Yeah, it was crazy. We couldn't hear any of the music on our chair Usually we have a speaker playing music. I couldn't hear any of it. I almost um I almost felt like I was getting kind of propelled to running I shouldn't say I almost felt I definitely got propelled to running way faster than I wanted to because of the crowds Uh, so it almost like was a no, it certainly wasn't a negative, but it got me way thrown off for sure Yeah, yeah
Shaun and Shamus Evans (08:36.054)
Mm -hmm.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (08:56.982)
No doubt. I mean, that is the challenge of Boston, always.
Brendan Aylward (09:01.447)
The transcontinental runs that you guys have done, I know they've had a mission behind them. It's not just running an insane amount of miles. So maybe could you take us through the two different segments that you did and what you did along the way?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (09:17.11)
Yeah, so I had mentioned earlier that, you know, Shamus and I ran that Altar Marathon in 2013. Well, after that Altar Marathon, Shamus came up with the idea that he'd like to run that far every single day for his summer vacation. And in that Altar Marathon, it was a six -hour timed event and we had covered 45 miles. So he was like in first grade at the time. So my wife and I helped him with the math and said, oh, if we ran that far every single day for summer vacation, we could run 3000 miles.
Brendan Aylward (09:29.735)
Great, Shams.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (09:44.15)
And he thought that, you know, that that sounded neat. And he said, how far could we make it if we ran 3000 miles? So we pulled out a map of the United States and said we could run from this ocean to this ocean and pointed, you know, Pacific to Atlantic. And it was like a little light bulb went off in Shamus's head. And he said, we got to do that. And my wife and I honestly kind of brushed it off at the time. He was seven years old and, you know, it was fun. It was neat to dream about and think about, but we never actually thought that it would come to fruition. And we would come up with, you know,
reasons or excuses. You know, like it's gonna take a lot of time. I don't know if I can train or prepare my body for that. I don't even know if it's physically possible or financially possible and on and on. But about three months later, Shamus was persisting and when I was tucking him in, after reading his bedtime story, he said, Dad, when we run across America, can we donate chairs to kids like me? Can we gift them chairs so that they can feel what it's like to go fast? And...
You know, I walked out of his room and said to my wife, we gotta try. We gotta try to make this happen. So for the next 18 months, I trained in earnest and we planned and tried to figure out all the logistics. And in the summer of 2015, we started, like I said, Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington and ran 56 miles a day for 60 consecutive days. And we donated 35 freedom running chairs to kids and families along the way.
All Shamus's idea, nothing that was ever on my bucket list.
Brendan Aylward (11:13.606)
Shameless, great idea, very kind to your dad to have him runnin' that much. What were the logistics of donating all those chairs? Were chapters kind of along the route meeting you guys, or were you transporting?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (11:17.974)
Yes.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (11:38.89)
So what we did to solicit applications for families was we reached out to iRun4, which is like a Facebook community of people that run for individuals with disabilities or special needs. We took applications from them and we ended up with 35 applications. The only caveat of the application was that they had to be able to get near or to the route that we were running.
We got 35 applications and we were able to raise enough money to donate all 35 of those chairs.
Brendan Aylward (12:10.375)
Shameless, what was the most challenging part of that summer?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (12:15.928)
And so on day six, there was...
There's a lot of negative stuff that happened. We got a late start and we had to present a chair live on TV. So having a late start from that, like not a bad reason to have a late start, but we made it to our destination a little bit later. And then there was a gas leak in the RV.
which caused my mom to have a migraine. It was like a propane leak inside. So she opened the vents and then we were driving to like a party that they were throwing for us a barbecue and we forgot to close the vents so Tree took the panel clean off and my brother was gonna make me a sandwich.
And he cut his finger while he was doing that so he was throwing up and passing out and then so we got to our party and we just had to decompress and
Shaun and Shamus Evans (13:39.512)
I said to my family, why do you guys look so sad? We had a great day today. We got to donate a chair on TV. We got to do an interview. And after the barbecue, we were going to a water park. So a lot of positive things. And so I think the hardest part was staying positive through the whole time. But...
when we were together as a family, you know, that was pretty easy.
Brendan Aylward (14:13.831)
Yeah. Sean, does that positivity from Shamus translate to races as well? And how does it help your performance in races, especially when you meet adversary like Sackets Harbor or Boston when it's a challenging course in the later half?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (14:28.952)
Yeah, I mean, Shamus is and has always been the eternal optimist. And I personally am not always that way. I'm always running through scenarios of what could go wrong and what do I need to do to plan to try and avert that. But Shamus always kind of has the attitude that things are going to work out. And he's always right. That positivity definitely helps to propel us.
you know, through everything really, not just racing, but every day. You know, we run into obstacles, we run into challenges, but you know, I think about some of the obstacles and challenges that Shamus faces on a daily basis and that we're able to work together as a team to overcome that. And maybe that's kind of the reason that he has the attitude he does of positivity. So no doubt, I mean, when the chair broke,
in Sacketts Harbor, it wasn't even a question about stopping. It was, you know, how are we gonna make this work so that we can continue to try and meet our qualifying time? And we did have to make some adjustments. You know, I couldn't turn the chair because I had no leverage. Like we normally, you know, pop a wheelie and turn. And we had hairpin turns because it was an out and back. So I ran around to the front of the chair, lifted up the front tire, and dragged them behind me when I needed to. And there were several turns.
that we had to do that on. And again, we still met the qualifying standard. Shamus kept his smile the entire time, and I'm sure that that helped me to stay positive.
Brendan Aylward (16:03.335)
Yeah, it was a great article in Runner's World about it. We'll have to link it in the show notes of the episode so people can read about the Sackets Harbor experience. But, Shamus, have you guys had any races where the conditions, like weather -wise, were less than ideal? And how does it feel? That was my biggest fear with Boston was it was gonna be cold and raining just for Jacob's sake, like getting pelted with rain for three or four hours. What is the worst race experience that you've had weather -wise?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (16:22.552)
Yep.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (16:31.96)
years ago? I don't know which one do you think? Marine Corps. Oh yeah. So about three years ago we were running Marine Corps and we said you know this was probably going to be our last Marine Corps as I was entering high school and the weather for that was about probably 40 degrees and cold.
cold downpours of rain. It's not fun. The chair was filling with water. So anytime we would tip to turn, all the water would rush to like the back where I was sitting. So that was not very comfortable. And after the race, I said, we cannot end on that year. That was not a good enough weather to end. So we ended up continuing to do.
do a Marine course. Yeah, there were parts of that race where we were running through eight inches, and I'm not exaggerating, eight inches of standing water on the road. It's just probably the most challenging weather that we've ever run in, just because it was relentless rain. I had put Shamus's feet in like a bag, like a plastic bag to try and keep them dry. When we finished the race, I dumped about two gallons of water out of that bag. There was no no staying dry.
Brendan Aylward (17:38.535)
Really? Wow.
Brendan Aylward (17:57.703)
That's crazy.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (18:00.792)
Since then we've gotten a nice little rain shield that is a little more tight fitting and fits the chair a little better. So if we encounter those type of conditions again, we'll be a little better prepared.
Brendan Aylward (18:14.119)
You guys have done a lot of races and kind of all around the country. What marathon or shorter distance I suppose as well race would you say is the most inclusive? Or what do you notice about some races that are more inclusive than others? What makes them more inclusive?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (18:32.088)
Do you have a thought on that? I would say, I mean, I would say Marine Corps Marathon seems to be one of the more inclusive races that we participated in just because of the number of wheels on the course and the way that they take care of the wheeled athletes. You know, we're amongst the start. I think there's like a hundred duos usually, which is, you know, unique. And then a lot of hand crank and push rim. And of course, there's a lot of veterans involved in that race.
So that, I would say that's probably one of the most inclusive that we've ever been a part of. And that takes place right around Halloween weekend every year in Washington, D .C.
Brendan Aylward (19:13.447)
Yeah, and I mean this year we were a part of the biggest duo field that Boston's ever had. But obviously I would love to see them continue to expand that division. Because I feel like, I mean, if you can accommodate 20, I'm not sure why you couldn't accommodate 30. So.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (19:18.872)
Right.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (19:24.504)
here.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (19:29.432)
Yeah, and you look at Marine Corps Marathon and I think that, you know, the total field is something like 40 ,000. And, you know, like I said, a hundred duos and probably as many hand cranks all on the course together sharing the road. So.
Brendan Aylward (19:40.039)
Mm -hmm.
Brendan Aylward (19:43.623)
Yeah. What is, what's the line between competing as a duo and advocating as a duo? Like, is there, is there a downside of wanting to run well or are we supposed to just be content with being out there and showcasing inclusion?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (20:02.488)
You know, I think that, you know, even coming out of Boston and us having a surprisingly good, faster time than I expected just helps with publicity for what we do. So I think the two can go hand in hand. It doesn't just have to be that we're going out to participate, though I think that is our number one goal, is going out to participate. But then when you do it with a little bit of...
Competitive spirit and a little bit of you know pace It draws a little more attention and like you know you mentioned the runners world article you know Shamus, and I were driving home from The race on Monday, and I think we did three interviews on the car ride home through the van speakerphone Just because you know people have heard of what we have done as a duo what we've accomplished as a family and I think that
It does help a little bit to be able to still run and rely on Shamus to pull me a little faster once in a while.
Brendan Aylward (21:08.615)
Yeah, and I mean, it certainly doesn't diminish the accomplishments of anyone that's not competing for a specific time. It's still equally essential, but I do think you're right that it turns a little more heads. And hopefully, like even at Boston, like there's prize purses for every division except duos. So like maybe it will get to a point where duos are recognized in the same lens that push rim or hand cycle is, and it probably would require people like yourselves.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (21:14.872)
Exactly.
Brendan Aylward (21:37.703)
kind of moving that forward as a more competitive field.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (21:41.112)
Yeah, yeah, I thought the same thing as we were driving home on Monday. You know, the other thing that obviously has helped a lot is Dick and Rick's longevity in doing it. And hopefully Shamus and I are able to maintain that as a father -son duo. You know, it's just astounding how long they were able to do it for. And then, you know, when I have to retire, maybe Shamus' brother can step in and continue Shamus being able to participate.
Brendan Aylward (22:01.479)
Yeah.
Brendan Aylward (22:06.567)
There you go.
Yeah, yeah, that would be awesome. I mean, my favorite part of what you've shared so far is just the closeness of your family, even like a summer being spent running, living in an RV, like that's just really impressive to me. So I think my favorite part of the whole story is just how close you guys are. And I...
Shaun and Shamus Evans (22:29.784)
And honestly, you know, that was one of the hardest parts of Monday was that Nicole and Simon couldn't be there. You know, they had obligations back here with Simon with track practice and Nicole with school that they just, they didn't feel like they could step away from it. And we totally understood it, but it was hard to not have them at a race like Boston, you know, when they are by our sides or cheering us on as much as possible. And, you know, you mentioned that summer of 2015. Those are some of my most favorite memories.
Yeah, it was amazing. We saw some amazing things and ran across the country. But honestly, some of my most favorite memories are time in the RV, just the four of us out on the road, visiting around that tiny little table at dinner or playing games at UNO or whatever. I'm going to cherish those memories forever.
Brendan Aylward (23:18.439)
Yeah, absolutely. I can't imagine that your favorite part of that experience was running nearly 60 miles a day. I can't imagine that was the most comfortable part of the experience. Shamus, what are your goals for the next few years, maybe both academically and athletically?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (23:25.368)
Yes.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (23:33.368)
Yeah, so coming up pretty, pretty soon, I'm hosting a Blue Gene Mile at my school to raise awareness for mental illness and suicide awareness. So that is where people will come to our high school track. They'll throw on a pair of blue jeans and run a mile. And then I'll give them a, everyone will get an award of some sort.
And then after that, starting to get ready for college, I recently committed to UAlbany to study physics and mechanical engineering.
Brendan Aylward (24:19.559)
impressive as you all been close to where you guys live.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (24:21.816)
Yeah, it's about like 45 minutes away. But Shamus' goal is to go and live on campus and that's what we're trying to navigate as a family now is, you know, we've been working with the residents life and disability services and they're all on board. Now it's just a matter of finding the personal care assistance that will be able to help him. Why don't you tell them about some of the other athletic things that you do in general and hope to continue. Oh yeah, so um...
Brendan Aylward (24:41.671)
Yeah, absolutely.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (24:50.52)
Yeah, one of the big ones is right now I'm shooting Trap currently and we have two competitions coming up that I'm going to. Hopefully can do pretty well in. And then over the summer I will be a part of the Why Not Sailing Club at Lake George. And last year I won the regatta that they hosted.
So hopefully this year I can participate in that again. So one of the really neat things about that program, again it's called Why Not, is Shamus can totally sail independently. Now I didn't know anything about sailing, but Shamus, they have the boats rigged, they're for people with disabilities. They have a joystick that operates the rudder and the pulleys for the rope so he can operate the sails. And Shamus has been sailing since he was 12 years old.
I hopped in the boat with him because they were short volunteers one day this summer and Shamus has us sideways at a 45 degree angle and I'm like, Shamus, is this what we're supposed to be doing? And we were flying with the wind and it was just amazing. So the thing that's neat about that is he doesn't have to rely on my legs to propel him and he can do it solo. It's really, really rewarding to watch.
Brendan Aylward (25:59.175)
That was awesome.
Brendan Aylward (26:10.535)
Yeah. Yeah.
Absolutely, Sean, as a father, maybe 18 years ago when you found out that Shamus was going to have cerebral palsy, what were your initial reactions and how has what he's accomplished over the last 18 years likely vastly exceeded all of your expectations, I would imagine.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (26:36.024)
Yeah, you know it's interesting because Shamus wasn't diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. He was, you know, as far as the doctors in the hospital and everything were concerned was, you know, he was born a healthy baby. His Apgar scores are normal. There was no, you know, trauma or anything that you often hear about with cerebral palsy. My job at the time was pediatric physical therapy and that's all I was doing.
working primarily with individuals with neurological conditions similar or having cerebral palsy. So I actually took it to the doctor several times and I said, I think, you know, some of the things that Shamus is exhibiting, you know, he was holding his hands in tight little fists. He had ankle clonus, which is kind of that, you know, beating of his ankles. There were just a few different things that I took to the doctors and they just said,
Sean, you're just a paranoid dad who knows too much. He's gonna outgrow it. There's nothing really to be concerned about here. Finally, when he was about 10 months old and wasn't really sitting or crawling or anything, they agreed to an early intervention evaluation. He obviously qualified because he had developmental delay. And then about two months later than that, right around his first birthday is when we saw a neurologist and he was actually diagnosed with cerebral palsy. So.
Your question was, you know, how did you how did you feel or how did you react? And I think I had known that it was coming for a long time and my wife, you know, and I had had obviously had a lot of conversations about it and Nicole at the time was a special education teacher. So we were well versed in what services were available and how to navigate that system and and without ever really talking about it, you know, Nicole and I.
you know, set the plan in progress to whatever Shamus wants to try or do, we're gonna figure out a way to make that happen through how, you know, how we have to accommodate, adapt, and make things accessible. And that's what we've done his entire life. And then, you know, he asked how, how he kind of Shamus's last 18 years have turned out. Now, again, my goal was to get him involved and then to participate in whatever he wanted to do. I had no idea that he was gonna bring.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (28:58.648)
our family on the journey that we've been on. I mean, I, again, beyond my wildest dreams, I had no idea that he was going to be such a big dreamer and such a positive beam of light in this family and really has led the way. And a lot of times I say, you know, I'm just here riding Shamus's coattails and helping to put his mission into being. And he has really helped us to figure out and see what inclusion is all about.
Brendan Aylward (29:27.271)
Yeah, now you guys are very involved with Ainsley's Angels, which is an organization that does something similar for a lot of families around the country. Shamus, do you want to tell the audience a little bit about what Ainsley's Angels is?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (29:42.136)
Yep. So, Agencies Angels is a rider -athlete organization and they'll pair able body runners with our rider -athletes and participate in endurance events like 5Ks, marathons, ultra marathons, and then some people have even done triathlons, which is a really cool experience.
Brendan Aylward (30:06.663)
Are you guys gonna do any triathlons or have you done any triathlons? Yeah, yeah.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (30:08.824)
We have, we've done three or four. Yeah, yeah, we've done several. And the neat thing about Ainsley's Angels, and I know you know, Brendan, is we're really trying to branch out even just beyond race day and figuring out how we can bring inclusion to every day, you know, through our ally development program and more inclusion experiences beyond race day, whether that be, you know, an outing or a, you know, sensory friendly movie nights or whatever. We just...
want everybody to be able to be included and involved in whatever they want to try.
Brendan Aylward (30:43.015)
Yeah, can you maybe just elaborate a little bit on what that Allied Development Program is?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (30:46.872)
Yeah, so launched last November, our ally development program is geared at creating disability allies, people that can help to promote inclusion, disability awareness and disability acceptance in their local communities. And that's what the program is geared toward educating them on. And the goal of the program is for each individual in the cohort to create a
community inclusion project that addresses a need in their local community, whether it be an accessible playground or adult -sized changing tables in the restroom or accessible entrances to businesses, whatever it is. And they're working on those projects now and they'll be presenting them up here in June.
Brendan Aylward (31:39.271)
Yeah, I love that. And some of that I've stayed in contact with a few of the people that I met from Boston when I came up to speak to that group. But I love how comprehensive it is, right? So racing is important. Racing showcases inclusion. But there's a lot more to getting your community involved and making your community more inclusive and accessible. So I think that program kind of bridges that gap really nicely.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (32:02.072)
Thank you.
Brendan Aylward (32:03.367)
What is uh, what's next for you guys? Do you have plans for next races?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (32:09.464)
Yeah, what are you talking about what you're doing? Well, I mean we have a couple short races here and we will run with our local ambassadorship here all spring and summer before Shamus heads off to college. But Shamus, we have some big plans for the fall. Yeah, so in October we're gonna be running the Marine Corps Marathon again. But this time I won't be running with my dad. He's gonna be pushing our friend Jill and um...
My friend, John, who's also an A6 ambassador, is going to be pushing me in his first marathon ever. So it'll be really fun to see how he feels about that experience, not only it being his first marathon, but his first time pushing someone.
Brendan Aylward (33:00.679)
Yeah, absolutely. Is that the first time that someone other than your dad has pushed you into a race?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (33:07.736)
Uh, not, not - Maybe a marathon. A marathon, yes. Yeah. Yep. Definitely a marathon.
Brendan Aylward (33:12.071)
Yeah, because I think about that sometimes where like...
For example, we host a 5K for my gym. And so instead of running, I'm organizing the race so Jacob doesn't participate because I'm not running. And I sometimes wonder if I would want someone else pushing him. I don't know, to me it feels like something that him and I do together. It feels like a special thing that him and I do together. So was there any part of you that was hesitant to let someone else push Shamus or?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (33:20.952)
Okay.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (33:36.664)
Right. Yeah.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (33:43.8)
There's been a few situations. He ran a Motherlovin' Run 5K with my wife one time, which was really neat, and a group of her friends. He's run a couple races with me and Simon, with Simon, his brother, doing the bulk of the pushing. Again, that's all family stuff. But then we went down and ran the Louisiana Marathon in, it might have been like 2017 or 18, and one of his...
Brendan Aylward (33:52.487)
Yeah.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (34:10.232)
friends pushed him in the half marathon down there with a group of adults that were there to assist as needed. So there's been a couple, you know, individual unique opportunities, but I tend to be the same way, you know. I like having Shamus to lean on and that smile to pull me along and I have not really run a race other than a couple trail races when I was training for the Run Across America. I haven't run a race without Shamus since 2012 or 2011 or something. It's been a long time.
Brendan Aylward (34:36.967)
Yeah, I've never raced without Jacob and I never had raced before Jacob and I started running together. So it's something that just, I guess that uniqueness makes it feel a little more personal. Like I don't think I would ever want to push someone else and I'm not sure selfishly whether I would.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (34:51.608)
Oh yeah, look out.
Brendan Aylward (34:58.599)
want someone outside of my wife to push Jacob, she's pushed him in like our local 5K and stuff. But it just does feel like some sort of special bond that we've come in. I often tell my coach that I'm faster with the chair than I am without. And maybe that's because I don't have any running experience or maybe it is a biomechanics thing. But like for you, do you feel like it's a lot harder to run fast with the chair or?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (35:01.464)
Right.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (35:24.152)
I mean, I think over this, Shamus and I have now been running together for, I mean, longer, but racing together for 11 years. And I think that, you know, I just have kind of evolved into, you know, how to master running with the chair. I don't feel like I need my arms anymore. And I do a lot of running without the chair too, because I run with his brother, Simon, and we train together. But as far as racing with the chair, like in Boston on Monday, I was glad I had the chair.
Brendan Aylward (35:51.367)
Yeah, absolutely. And maybe like, I kind of glanced over it quickly, but in Boston, I guess, how did you feel like the course was with the chair or how do you feel like running it was?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (36:05.88)
Well, do you want to? I mean, I had told Brendan we were going to go out at seven minute pace. I was not lying. That was my intention.
Brendan Aylward (36:11.111)
Yeah, you lied to me. You lied to me. You lied to me. I turned with the gun and the gun goes off and you already had like a 20 second lead on all of us. You must have, I split 540 for the first mile. So you must have been 515 or 520. Cause you were a good, you were a good 15 or 20 seconds ahead of us.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (36:18.392)
You
Shaun and Shamus Evans (36:25.592)
Yeah.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (36:30.328)
you're talking about those for you i'll say it so when the gun goes off and we start out sprinting and name of my dad it will meet is plan i'm like and i don't know how closely with the people plan then we get about five miles and and i get a text from my mom's and what that i thought you guys were saying the six minutes are you tell your dad to it
Brendan Aylward (36:32.839)
Yes
Brendan Aylward (36:38.599)
Yeah.
Brendan Aylward (36:45.767)
Yes.
Brendan Aylward (36:54.535)
Yes, yes, yes. That's funny, that's funny.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (36:59.128)
to save some for Heartbreak Hill. So I read him that text and then he reined it in a little bit and we stuck to the plan of going slow, easy on the uphills, cranked it on the downhills and then through that plan we were able to get our PR.
Brendan Aylward (37:20.903)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was a... No, go ahead.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (37:22.04)
Yeah, I mean, as far as I was just going to say, as far as the course goes, as far as the course goes, you know, I forgot how undulating Boston was and I'd run it six times, but it's been 15 years since I last ran it. And those undulating hills, that's what beats you up, you know, because you're down and then you're up and then you're down. And it's like what we train in all the time. But, you know, that's why my legs are so sore today.
Brendan Aylward (37:50.439)
I'm still feeling the ramifications as well. But yeah, it was it was something where like I just could not really slow down the first half and I'm getting texts We have kind of our phone mounted on the on the arrow bars I'm getting texts like oh you're crushing it. I'm like, no like this is not good Like this is not what I wanted. They're like you're doing great. I'm like, it's not gonna end well, but Knew it was coming
Shaun and Shamus Evans (37:52.792)
I'm sorry.
Brendan Aylward (38:17.063)
My only disappointment is that I was cramping so bad by 17 that I couldn't really run up the hills. But I actually didn't think the Newton Hills were that intimidating. There's a lot of reprieves where you go uphill but then you're kind of running on a flat or a downhill for a little bit of time. So they didn't feel quite as unrelenting as you may think. I don't know, maybe that's just my opinion.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (38:42.808)
Yeah, and the last one is really where I felt it and that was just, you know, the cumulative effect of everything that we had done. But as soon as we got to the top, you know, I kind of shook my arm, shook my legs out and we were right back into it. In fact, Simon was tracking us from physics class. And he said, oh, dad, I saw that you had this one mile that was 906 and he was worried. You know, he figured that I had cramped up or that we were gonna struggle from there on.
Brendan Aylward (39:00.423)
Yes.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (39:11.224)
And then he said, but the next mile was 608. So, yeah, and it was, it was good. And like you said, that reprieve and it allows you to use some different muscles. And for me, it allowed me to lean on Shamus and let him do the work on the downhills. As long as my stride could go, I tried to let it go.
Brendan Aylward (39:13.799)
Yep, yep, exactly, yeah.
Brendan Aylward (39:29.767)
Yeah, it's definitely different running with the chair. It's probably a type of stride that you adopt to. Kind of like get used to over time for sure. But you guys have a lot of great resources. You have a book that you guys wrote together, right? If people are interested in purchasing that or learning more about your story as a whole, is there a specific website or channel that we should direct them to?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (39:53.688)
Yeah, I mean if people want to follow what Shamus is up to or what Shamus and I are up to, our Instagram, Facebook pages are power to push. That's power the number two and then push. And then as far as like ordering the book, it is available on Amazon. But we prefer that everybody order from AinsleysAngels .org. It's the exact same price. It's free shipping in both places. But that way Ainsley's Angels gets a little more of the profits.
All the money for the sales of the books goes toward benefiting Ainsley's Angels and promoting the mission of inclusion. And you know, eventually a goal of ours is to... So that book primarily I wrote alone, but Shamus and I do have the goal of writing a book together where I think it would be neat to kind of alternate chapters. So we'll see how his schedule allows us to do something like that, but that would be, I think, pretty neat in the future.
Brendan Aylward (40:43.847)
Yeah, I'm sure you'll have a lot of free time with your physics and mechanical engineering workload as well to write a book. Sounds perfect. But yeah, we'll include some of those links in the show notes so people can easily find them. And maybe lastly, if someone wants to get involved with Ainsley's Angels and if there isn't a chapter already in their community, what would be the process of them starting one?
Shaun and Shamus Evans (40:46.776)
Yeah.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (41:06.872)
Oh yeah, I really appreciate that question. You know, AinsleysAngels .org is the place to go and then click join our family. If there is a location in your area and we are in, you know, between 60 and 70 cities and towns across America, but if we're not in your local area or region, there's an opportunity to become an ambassador. We take any interested individuals, you know, through an application process and then again provide the education.
so that it's not such a daunting task to be able to start and develop and create a thriving ambassadorship in their area.
Brendan Aylward (41:46.503)
Awesome. Yeah, so we'll include all those links so people can easily find them. But Sean, Shamus, thanks for the conversation. Congratulations on Boston. I know it was a long journey to get there and a great day, hopefully. You guys ran really well. Appreciate everything you guys do for the world of inclusion and inclusive endurance sports as a whole.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (42:09.208)
Oh, thanks. And likewise to you too, all that you do. And again, the cohort has reached out to me a lot of times, you know, that said that they've been listening to your lectures and your podcasts and everything that you do. So we really appreciate it. I hope that we can keep that that relationship going for future cohorts and that you will continue to be involved because it means a lot.
Brendan Aylward (42:27.911)
Absolutely.
Yeah, you might catch us up in Sackett Harbor as a last -ditch effort of making it into Boston again next year. So.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (42:37.816)
Oh, you know, if you're interested in going to Sacketts Harbor, I can put you in touch with the race director. So the Sacketts Harbor race director also ran Boston on Monday.
Brendan Aylward (42:47.591)
You were talking to him, right? I think I saw you guys talking to him before after the race. Yeah, cool. Awesome.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (42:50.072)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She's incredible. And I'm sure they would love to have another duo. Shamus and I won't be there this year in Sackett Harbor because he'll be at school. But if you guys go up, maybe Simon and I will go up and run the half marathon or something in Cheerio. And that'd be really cool. So let me know.
Brendan Aylward (43:01.127)
That's cool. That's cool, yeah.
Brendan Aylward (43:07.879)
Okay. I do. All right. Wonderful. I will. Thanks again, guys. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.
Shaun and Shamus Evans (43:13.4)
Yeah, take it easy, Brendon. See you.