Redbud Classic draws racers in wheelchairs

By Carrie Coppernoll

Published: April 5, 2006

Hundreds of runners will compete this weekend in the annual Redbud Classic, but a few of those racers won't be using their feet.

A tiny pack of wheelchair athletes will head out on the 5K road course through Nichols Hills minutes before a mass of huffing runners. The race starts at 2 p.m. at NW 63 and Pennsylvania Avenue.

A pair of those wheelchair racers will be friends Colin Cutter, 14, an eighth-grader at Piedmont, and Shad Isaac, 15, a freshman at Putnam City West High School.

This year is Shad's first to race in the Redbud. Colin has raced -- and won -- every year since he was 4.

The teens aren't out to prove anything to anyone, except to themselves.

"I just like to challenge myself," Shad said. Colin nodded: "Yeah, that's what it's about." Shad added: "To be a better person."

Both Shad and Colin were born with spina bifida, which affects the spinal column. About 70,000 people nationwide have the birth defect, which can cause an array of symptoms such as paralysis, according to the Spina Bifida Association of America. Colin uses a wheelchair all the time, but Shad can walk short distances at times.

The two play basketball together and are on the same track and field team. They train together, pushing their chairs lap after lap around the track.

"Track, whether you're rolling or not, is a mind game," Colin said.

Colin slides his socked feet into a black pouch that covers everything below his knees. Shad slides off his plastic leg braces and slips his feet underneath him, resting them on a bar under his thighs.

Shad's chair brand, Eagle, is fitting, he said: "I can fly."

Before they race or practice, they tuck their hands into thick black mitts on the side that look like miniature boxing gloves. They hit the practice track, tapping their wheels forward and humming around the oval.

"That's what life is about," Colin said. "You just do everything you can with what you've got."

The 24th annual Redbud Classic is Saturday and Sunday in northwest Oklahoma City. The event includes running events, bicycle races and a wheelchair race. To register or for more information, visit www.redbud.org or call 842-8295.

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