CatWalk Trust applauds inclusion of wheelchair division in ASB Auckland Marathon

The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust (CatWalk) congratulates the ASB Auckland Marathon on its commendable decision to include a pilot wheelchair division in the multi-distance event of the 2018 ASB Auckland Marathon.

CatWalk is a registered charity dedicated to a world free of paralysis caused by spinal cord injury (SCI), It supports innovative, world-class research into a cure for spinal cord injury, enable those living with SCI to walk again. It also delivers funding for research that seeks to improve health outcomes and quality of life for people living with SCI.

CatWalk chairman David Pretorius, whose 15 year old daughter Holly is a wheelchair user due to SCI suffered following a car accident in 2010, applauds the move by race organisers.

“It is vital that we celebrate diversity within our community, and as such it is essential that wheelchair athletes be given the same opportunities to compete as able-bodied athletes. I am enormously grateful to the Auckland Marathon race directors for pursuing a pilot wheelchair race, and I look forward to it becoming a regular fixture in one of New Zealand’s most iconic endurance events.”

“Many of those living with SCI have already endured life-changing trauma, and in my experience, they often go on to develop extraordinary levels of resilience and mental strength. The inclusion of a wheelchair division in the 2018 ASB Auckland Marathon presents an opportunity for both elite and regular wheelchair athletes alike to showcase their abilities.”

CatWalk is one of the official Everyday Heroes charities in this year’s ASB Auckland Marathon.

ENDS

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