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Cheer Bob Hall’s REquipment Racers Up Heartbreak Hill!

By eanderson

April 2, 2026

A collage of smiling runners, mostly young women, some holding medals or racing; in the center is a Black man with his disabled son.
Seven of Bob Hall’s REquipment Racers. Clockwise from the top: Candice LaPann, Christina Herrick, Hilary Winocoor, Sarah Wilkinson, Victoria Garcia, Shannon Graham, and centered is Drew Jemeison with his son Noah.

Please join us on April 20th for a wonderful day of camaraderie at the Boston Marathon.

REquipment is delighted to share an opportunity to rally for reuse and our Bank of America Boston Marathon Charity Program runners as they climb Heartbreak Hill.

These 15 racers have been training for months for marathon day, raising funds for REquipment within their communities, honored to further the legacy of Boston’s original wheelchair marathoner, Bob Hall.

Three smiling men outdoors wearing Santa hats, one seated in a wheelchair.
Left to right: REquipment Racer Drew Jemeison with marathon legends Bob Hall and Bill Rodgers at the 2025 Jingle Bell Run in Somerville.

Bob Hall has spent his long career busting barriers for disabled athletes, not only as a ground-breaking competitor, but also as a designer of specialized equipment — from racing chairs to uniskis.

An early racing chair photographed as a museum piece.
This early Hall’s Wheels racing design is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

In 1975, Bob gave it his all, finishing the Boston Marathon in under three hours in a clunky hospital-style chair. His achievement dazzled spectators and race organizers alike.

A man racing in a wheelchair is cheered by a woman yelling who has popped out from the crowd.
Bob Hall inspires cheers and encouragement in Boston.

Bob went on to pioneer wheelchair racing in marathons around the world, and to originate and refine chair designs for competition as well as everyday use. He transformed convention and broke the mold on how people perceive disability, both on and off the race course.

A stylish ad featuring a man in a sleek wheelchair with large text: Galileo was a liar. And then smaller text: the earth is actually flat.
From a New Halls Wheels magazine ad campaign that ran in the 1980s, which included photography by Annie Leibovitz. Tiny print reads, “Wheelchairs designed to make sense of the world’s bumps, curves and more.”

Now Bob has created a legacy fund to benefit REquipment, Inc, the nonprofit that delivers free refurbished durable medical equipment and assistive technology — along with independence, safety, and greater dignity — to Massachusetts residents with all forms of disabilities.

A little girl smiles and clasps her hands while seated on a two-seater tricycle.
Mary, on a two-seater recumbent trike provided by REquipment.

The Bob Hall Legacy Fund is a huge honor. It’s also a great opportunity. The fund furthers Bob Hall’s legacy by raising private dollars and a broader base of support for REquipment, Inc. at a time when public funds are under extraordinary pressure.

Excited to help?

Join REquipment outside the Newton Center T Station on race day, April 20th.

REquipment Inc. CEO Adriana Mallozzi will be giving away free Bob Hall REquipment Racer t-shirts with assistance from REquipment staff members and students of the Northeastern University Biomedical Orthopedic Networking and Educational Society.

Three smiling REquipment staff members, one in a power wheelchair, wearing Rights to Fight For t-shirts.
REquipment, Inc. CEO Adriana Mallozzi at ADA Boston 35, flanked by staff members Wendy Ayanbeku and Anthony Calderon-Diaz.

Together, we’ll cheer on the extraordinary efforts of Bob Hall’s REquipment Racers as they fight their way up Heartbreak Hill.

Support our athletes and our cause: better access to essential medical equipment and assistive technology for individuals with disabilities across Massachusetts.

Can’t make it? Consider making a financial donation to our team.

Support Our Mission

Link to REquipment’s fundraising site

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