Words by Like the Wind – Photography by Chase Fleming for ASICS
This is a story – like so many running stories – that is about challenge of distances. One of the distances in this story is 7,000 miles, or thereabouts. Another is 3,200 miles. Then there is the classic 26.2 miles. And, more unusually, one distance is a mere three inches. All, in their own way, illustrate how determination, love and good humour combine to make what seems impossible, possible. And not just possible, but a celebration of life.
Shamus Neal Evans was born on 11 January 2006 to Nichole and Shaun in Glens Falls, NY. He was the couple’s first child. In the early months that Shamus and his new, doting parents were at home, Shaun started to notice something – a few movements the baby was making that didn’t seem right.
Shaun was deep into completing his doctoral research into paediatric physical therapy, so he was highly attuned to the way his newborn son balled up fists or seemed more startled than usual by loud noises. Still, during a well-baby check-up, after Shaun raised concerns with the paediatrician, he was told that he was “a paranoid Dad who knows a little too much.” So, Shaun kept his concerns to himself and life continued. Their three-person family moved into a new house. Nichole returned to work, while Shaun combined studying, working and running marathons (to the point that Shaun considered it more than possible that he would qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2008).
However, as the weeks and months passed, Nichole and Shaun became more and more concerned that Shamus might have some mobility and motor-skills problems. As Shamus approached his first birthday, the paediatrician agreed that there were enough warning signs to justify some early intervention services.
“Some of those neurological signs persisted,” says Shaun. “[Shamus] wasn’t meeting his milestones of, you know, sitting, crawling, walking – all of those things.”
After being referred to a neurologist, what the parents already suspected was confirmed: Shamus had a form of cerebral palsy, which comes with a range of physical symptoms. “So [Shamus] was finally diagnosed at about a year,” explained Shaun. “But you know, for the first year of his life, my wife Nichole and I knew that he had some physical limitations.”
Shamus was clearly a very bright, engaged and curious child. But his motor skills were not developing as they should. For the young parents, the diagnosis was difficult to take. But they agreed very quickly that Shamus’s condition would be met with as much positivity as possible. “We just wanted Shamus to have as typical a childhood as any anybody. So whatever we had to do to adapt, accommodate or overcome any obstacles, we would figure out a way to do it. And that’s really how we lived our lives,” says Shaun.
And with running being such an important part of Shaun’s life, it was bound to feature in Shamus’s too.
Shamus and Shaun understand that life is all about overcoming obstacles. That is part and parcel of living with cerebral palsy. And perhaps it is because of this knowledge that there exists a steely determination, just visible behind the father and son’s broad smiles and positive approaches to life, that means they are unwavering in their determination – that Shamus’s life should not be limited by his disability. That is how Shamus and Shaun, along with Shamus’s brother Simon, find themselves on the fifth floor of a shopping centre in the heart of Tokyo – 7,000 miles from their home in the United States – staring at a three-inch step. Which presents an obstacle to them enjoying lunch in a restaurant that advertises itself as being wheelchair accessible.
The staff in the restaurant look blankly at Shamus when it is pointed out that he cannot navigate the step in his motorised wheelchair. Through the use of a translation app, the restaurant manager says that usually his staff just lift wheelchair users up the small step into the establishment. But Shamus’s electric wheelchair weighs 180kg, so that isn’t an option.
Thankfully, the restaurant next door doesn’t have a step at the entrance and they are happy to welcome the Evanses. None of the three seem to be angry – or even mildly frustrated – by what they just encountered. And in part that is because this sort of thing happens all the time. Moreover, because Shamus and Shaun are in Japan to race the 2025 Tokyo Marathon, they are not going to let anything sour this adventure. This is Shamus’s first overseas trip and he’s determined to make the most of it.
Shamus and Shaun are taking on the marathon as duo racers – Shaun pushing Shamus in a specially designed chair that looks like a cross between a self-propelled racing wheelchair and a triathlon bike. While the actual chair that the duo will be using is new to them, they have masses of experience running and racing like this.
Getting Started
The pair started running together when Shamus was just about one year old. Shaun had considered that his really competitive days as a runner were over when Shamus was born. But he needn’t have worried. In his book Better Together, Shaun writes, “That year for Father’s Day, Nichole and Shamus bought me a jogging stroller, further cementing the idea that running would be part of our family life.”
The miles that Shaun and Shamus spent running were magical. In Better Together, Shaun describes how: “As soon as Shamus was old enough to ride, we’d run together. After a few short runs, we increased our distance – and before we knew it, he joined me for my weekend long run each Saturday. He slept for most of the eighteen to twenty-two miles, but woke up if I breathed hard or slowed down as we climbed a hill. He’d doze off again on the descent. I’d sing to him, talk to him and dream with him about someday running in the Olympic Trials.”
Shamus and Shaun kept running. Shaun trained to achieve his dream of entering the Olympic Trials. And the young parents continued to adapt to the realities of Shamus’s condition. A little over a year after Shamus was born, Nichole discovered she was pregnant again. And soon a younger brother, Simon, joined the Evans family.
It goes without saying that before long both the boys were joining Shaun for his runs.
“We used to have like a double jogging stroller,” says Shamus, “that me and my brother would run in with [Dad]. And he would always ask us which way we wanted to go. We would take turns choosing left or right. So [Dad] would let us decide his training route.”
As the years passed, Shaun and Shamus kept logging the miles because both derived huge value from it. Of course, the miles that Shaun was logging contributed to his ever-faster marathon times. But more than that, the running created a bond between father and son.
“Running together is really a great experience,” says Shamus, “because I get to spend time with my Dad. And it’s, like, our thing. It’s great to get outside too. You know, I just love our time together.”
There is a saying that from little acorns, great oak trees grow. And so it was for Shamus and Shaun. Their runs together cemented their relationship. They had time together, just the two of them. Running gave them a reason to get outside. And it also planted the seed of an idea: that through running they could change not just their lives, but the lives of thousands of others. An idea that started thanks to a chance encounter and another chair.
Shaun put a huge amount of time and energy into trying to lower his marathon time to the qualifying standard for the Olympic Trials: 2h20m. But in the end, injuries that required surgery set him back. As Shaun recovered, his fitness was there, but the speed was lacking. That is how Shaun decided to sign up for his first ultra marathon in 2013.
As Shaun prepared with longer and longer runs, Shamus watched. And kept asking if he could join his Dad on the roads. Initially when Shaun said “no” it was because the conditions weren’t favourable, with too much ice for it to be safe. But as winter turned to spring, that excuse melted away. Finally, one day in April, Shamus asked again and Shaun realised that running with his son was exactly what he needed to raise his spirits from a low point.
Sadly though, as Shaun lifted Shamus to put him in the jogging stroller, they both realised he would not fit. Shamus was seven years old and had not been out for a run with his Dad for almost a year. He’d outgrown the stroller.
Shaun describes how heartbreaking that moment was for him. But Shaun and Nichole are problem solvers so, undeterred, they decided to find a solution. Shaun and Nichole were aware of the racing exploits of Rick and Dick Hoyt – a father and son duo who had raced the Boston Marathon, as well as dozens of other road races and triathlons. They used a chair that could accommodate an adult rider.
After contacting the Hoyts, Shaun understood that their specialised chair was financially out of reach for the Evans family. But Kathy Boyer, Dick Hoyt’s partner, suggested an alternative: get in touch with a man named Major Kim Rossiter – known to everyone as Rooster – who ran an organisation called Ainsley’s Angels, which is dedicated to helping families with disabled children experience the joy of taking part in endurance events – and through that raising awareness of America’s special need community. This would turn out to be a pivotal moment for Shamus and Shaun and would ultimately lead them to Tokyo.
The Brakes Are Off
One of the realities of caring for a child with a condition like Shamus’s is that it can feel lonely. Shaun and Nichole were determined that Shamus should not be restricted by cerebral palsy. So he went to school with all the other local children. He played with his brother and they went on family trips – in the same way as every other family. But it wasn’t until Shaun contacted Rooster, that the Evans realised how many other families were like theirs.
Initially, Shaun emailed Rooster to enquire about the possibility of getting a chair for Shamus. The speed with which he received a response really surprised him. And that was just the start. Within a few hours of the initial contact, Rooster had set up a fundraising page for Ainsley’s Angels in the Evans’s name. If they hit the $800 target, Shamus would get a new chair that would accommodate his growing body. To everyone’s surprise, the next day – after Shaun had shared the link with family and friends – the Evans had raised $1,300. That was enough to get a chair for Shamus and – Shaun and Nichole were delighted to learn – provide a chair to another family who wanted their child to have the chance to enjoy the freedom it would provide.
Shaun says that “it was an awakening for me to recognise there were so many other kids out there like Shamus who wanted to be part of the action.”
Just a few days after exceeding their fundraising target, Shamus’s new chair was delivered. Shaun eagerly waited for Shamus to alight the school bus so they could unpack the huge box, assemble the chair, pump the tyres and go for a test run. After a five-mile loop, the pair returned home to find that Simon wanted to join in. So another five miles for Shaun. Then, upon returning from that second run, Shamus decided he was not done: he asked his Dad if they could go out again. Three runs back-to-back. At least it was good training for Shaun’s upcoming ultra marathon.
The new chair was a breakthrough in many ways. But perhaps one of the most significant was when Shamus asked whether he could now join his Dad in a race. He’d spent years training with Shaun and watching him race from the side lines. But now, perhaps, they could actually race together.
The duo contacted the race organiser of a local four-mile race taking place on 4 July 2013 in Saratoga, NY, to ask if they could enter. The answer was firmly in the affirmative and they were even permitted to start with the elite runners, at the front of the field, once the race director understood that they would be running at a speed that would mean they’d hold their own.
After that first race, there was no stopping Shamus and Shaun. Their next race was the ultra marathon Shaun had entered. It took place on a closed loop cinder track at Clapp Park in Pittsfield, MA. Shamus and Shaun came first overall with 125 laps, which added up to 45 miles. Shortly after that, Shaun raced a 50 miler – the Canandaigua race around the lake of the same name. Shamus wasn’t able to join for that one – the route was not suitable for a wheelchair. But the distance Shaun covered sparked an idea in Shamus’s mind: how far could the duo cover if they ran 50 miles per day for the whole summer vacation. That is how the Evans family embarked upon a 3,200 mile run across America.
The Longer the Better
After the second ultra marathon in 2013, Shamus and Simon took a map of the US and – with Shaun and Nichole looking over their shoulders – worked out that 50 miles per day for the 10-week-long summer vacation would mean they could, theoretically, run across the United States from coast-to-coast. Of course, the idea sounded completely implausible. The distance involved was huge. The logistics would be incredibly complicated. Shaun was sure he would not be able to take ten weeks off work.
But one night, as they tucked him in bed, Shamus switched from asking his parents whether they’d be able to go on this huge adventure to a different question: “Daddy, when we run across America, can we give running chairs to other kids like me so they can feel what it’s like to go fast?” At that moment Nichole and Shaun knew they would have to try to make the idea a reality.
The Evans’s run across America soon changed from a little boy’s dream to a reality. Rooster from Ainsley’s Angels thought it was an incredible concept and with his military background, he weighed in on the logistics. A fundraising goal of $70,000 was set, which would cover all the costs and mean that the Evanses could purchase and donate running chairs along the route. Shamus and Simon did their bit generating over $5,000 from crafting and selling lemonade and cookies in front of the family home. A grant of $20,000 gave the project a much-needed boost. And some press coverage ensured the story caught the imagination of people all over the country. In the end the Evanses raised more than $100,000.
On 1 September 2015, after 58 days of running, starting in Seattle, WA: Shamus, Shaun, their family and many supporters arrived in Pelham Bay, NY and dipped the wheels of their running chair in the ocean. They had raised money, raised awareness of the work of Ainsley’s Angels and, whether directly or indirectly, positively impacted the lives of hundreds of families across the United States and beyond. But they were far from being done.
Keep on Keeping On
Shaun’s book, Better Together, finishes with the end of the duo’s epic run together. But that is not the end of their running story. In the years since, Shamus and Shaun have continued to run, in the name of Ainsley’s Angels. And they have continued to defy expectations.
In 2024 – the year Shamus turned 18 and was eligible to take part in the race – the duo ran the Boston Marathon in an astonishing time of 2h55m35s. That is the race that Shamus says has been his favourite so far.
“It was just such a great experience,” says Shamus. “The crowd was so into [seeing us] that towards the end of the race, people started chanting ‘Shaun and Shamus’ and clapping out a rhythm. I don’t know how they knew who we were – unless someone that we knew was there – but it was just a great experience.”
Following the Boston race, the team at ASICS – a brand supporting the pair – suggested they could run the 2025 edition of the Tokyo Marathon. It would be Shamus’s first overseas trip and a chance to bring duo-racing to an event that had hitherto not been open to them.
This is, in itself, an important part of the Evans’s mission. When asked what constitutes the biggest hurdle to racing as a duo, Shamus says simply: “I think probably the hardest part is getting races to allow us in. You know, a lot of times we have to fight to be entered in races.” “I would echo that,” says Shaun. “We sometimes have to plead our case and say that we belong. But other than that, it is just logistics.”
Logistics for a duo on race day can often include getting to the start line four or five hours before the gun is fired to ensure they are able to get their van parked, set up the chair and so on. Shaun has to consider, “How many miles am I running in addition to the marathon to get us where we need to go?” Still, the duo accept that these logistical pieces, whilst a challenge, are “par for the course – and now Shamus and I have been running marathons together since 2013, so we’ve encountered a lot of obstacles”.
Shamus and Shaun acknowledge how much ASICS’ support means to them being able to race in Tokyo. From organising their travel to helping ensure their racing chair arrived safe and sound, the brand went the extra mile in every sense.
On the day, the Tokyo Marathon was a great success for all involved. The race organisers had invited four duos to take part, with a stipulation that they had to run with two representatives from the race, whose job it was to make sure the pairs didn’t go too fast, didn’t encounter problems along the way and to gather impressions of the race – to report back so the event can include more duo teams in the future. So, while Shamus and Shaun were not able to break any records, they had a great experience – both in the city before the race and during the marathon itself.
“I’m always worried when we go to a new place,” says Shaun. “You know, wondering what the accessibility is going to be like and what the challenges are going to be. There’s the fear of the unknown. So, coming halfway around the world and trying to figure all that stuff out on the fly makes me anxious. But I feel like the team around us has been very supportive.”
During their time in Tokyo, Shamus and Shaun have had the chance to fulfil their great mission of raising awareness for people with disabilities like Shamus. “When people see us running together,” explains Shamus, “a lot of times they’ll ask what we’re about and what we’re doing. So we have wristbands that we give out with the Ainsley’s Angels website address printed on the inside. When we do that, we are spreading awareness and having people pass along the story.”
Shamus and Shaun’s story is one of distances. From the early short runs as Shaun and Nichole adapted to their first son’s needs, to that first race together over four miles. From their first ultra marathons to the incredible 3,200 mile run across America. Then on to racing marathons in Boston, Tokyo and many other locations. All along that journey there have been obstacles. But the whole family – Shamus, Shaun, Nichole and Simon – have maintained an incredibly positive attitude.
“The hiccups that we’ve had with accessibility to restaurants or whatever has been relatively minor compared to, you know, what it could have been,” Shaun explains. “Sometimes I start to exaggerate [the possible problems] in my mind. But being in Tokyo has been a lot of fun. We’ve had a lot laughs. Shamus hasn’t stopped smiling, which is always a good sign for me. I know that my goal every day is to make sure that his smile can continue to lead the way.”
As for what’s next, well Shamus – as ever – has a plan: “I definitely want to travel more. I think hitting all the Marathon Majors is really something that I would like to do. I’d love to race London next.” And with their positive can-do attitude, there’s no reason why Shamus’s next plan won’t become a reality. After all, it’s just a matter of distance.
Find out more about Ainsley’s Angels at bit.ly/ltw-ainsleys and Shamus and Shaun’s journey at bit.ly/ltw-shamus-shaun.
www.asics.com