Racing Chair for Maddie Wilson

I would like you to meet Maddie, or if you have frequented any of the local 5K/10K road races you probably already have.  She's our 10 year old ball of fire. She's an athlete, loves singing (very loudly, usually in the confined space of the car), a comedian and an all around joyful, healthy, happy little girl. However, she is unique to most other little girls you know. Maddie was born with Spina Bifida, a condition that has rendered her without feeling from the waist down. She does not walk and can not run like the other kids in the playground, but that does not mean she isn't "hell on wheels" in her chair.  She has found her way in this world and she has found her outlet in wheelchair racing. 

You see, racing is Maddie's great equalizer and she relishes every second she is in her chair whether it be training multiple times a week with her dad, at a local race (you've seen her at the Tufts 10K, Falmouth Road Race and about 50 other local road races over the last 5 years), or in Wisconsin, Indiana, New Jersey and Minneapolis where she has competed at the national level in the Junior Paralympics. She has been connected with the worlds greatest wheelchair athletes and considers Tatyana McFadden her good friend. She has been interviewed by numerous news channels, newspapers, and radio personalities (recently with a long story on NPR). We are enormously proud of her ability to overcome her obstacles and are honored to continue to support her dreams.

All of these events, equipment, and training do not come without a cost. We are thrilled that Maddie is growing and developing but not as thrilled that she has now outgrown her chair. Custom racing chairs cost around $3,000, we do our best to get her where she needs to be across the country and to enter her in every race she wants along with provide the funds to maintain her equipment but a big expense like this starts to tap us out.  That is where you, Maddie's biggest supporters, come in to play.  Please consider helping us to continue putting Maddie on this journey and also allowing Maddie to continue to inspire others on those race routes.