September 15, 2026
Runners, walkers, wheelchair athletes, families and supporters came together at Franklin Park in Boston for the first 5K Bob’s Way, celebrating Bob Hall’s pioneering legacy while helping expand mobility and independence for people with disabilities across Massachusetts.
On Saturday, September 12, the Bob Hall Legacy Fund and REquipment welcomed the community to Franklin Park in Boston for the inaugural 5K Bob’s Way, an inclusive run, walk and roll created to honor the life and legacy of wheelchair racing pioneer Bob Hall.
During the inaugural event, participants, volunteers, sponsors and supporters helped raise money to support the Bob Hall Legacy Fund and REquipment’s work providing refurbished wheelchairs, walkers and other durable medical equipment to people across Massachusetts.
But the day was about more than reaching a finish line.
It was about bringing people together around an idea that shaped Bob’s life and continues to guide the work being done in his name: people with disabilities should have the opportunity, equipment and support to participate fully in their communities.
Carrying Bob Hall’s Legacy Forward
Bob Hall helped change the landscape of adaptive sports when, in 1975, he became the first officially recognized wheelchair athlete to complete the Boston Marathon. His historic finish helped pave the way for the race’s wheelchair division and for generations of adaptive athletes who followed.
Over the decades that followed, Bob became known not only as an elite athlete, but as an innovator and advocate who worked to expand opportunity and improve equipment for people with disabilities.
Following Bob’s passing in April 2026, 5K Bob’s Way was created as one way to carry those values forward.
The inaugural event reflected that spirit by creating a space where runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes of different ages and abilities could participate side by side.
Meet the First Bob Hall Rising Athlete Award Winner: Mary MacDonald
One of the most meaningful moments of the inaugural 5K came when Bob’s wife, Jane Raymond-Hall, presented the first Bob Hall Rising Athlete Award to 17-year-old Massachusetts wheelchair athlete Mary MacDonald.
Created to support the next generation of athletes with disabilities, the annual award provides $2,500 toward expenses including training, adaptive equipment, competition fees and travel.
Mary competes in wheelchair racing and other adaptive sports and has quickly established herself as one of Massachusetts’ rising wheelchair athletes.
In 2026 alone, she was named Sports ’N Spokes Junior Athlete of the Year, won the wheelchair 100-meter race at the Massachusetts Meet of Champions and continued competing at the state and national level.
But Mary’s story is about much more than results.
Adaptive sports have helped her build confidence, independence and community. Her journey into wheelchair racing has also shown how important access to the right equipment, training and competitive opportunities can be for a young athlete discovering what is possible.
Mary has big goals for what comes next, including aspirations of competing at the Paralympic Games. She is also passionate about disability advocacy and hopes to continue making a difference beyond the track.
Mary represents exactly the kind of determination, ambition and willingness to push beyond barriers that defined Bob’s own athletic career.
The Bob Hall Rising Athlete Award was created to help athletes like Mary pursue those ambitions and, in time, create new opportunities for the athletes who follow them.
From Access to Athletics — and Everyday Independence
Specialized equipment can help an athlete train and compete. The right mobility equipment can also determine whether someone can attend school, go to work, leave home safely, participate in their community or maintain their independence.
Through REquipment, donated durable medical equipment is refurbished and provided to people throughout Massachusetts who need it, without requiring a prescription or insurance approval.
Since 2014, REquipment has refurbished and distributed more than 14,000 donated devices, representing more than $27 million in value returned to the community.
The Bob Hall Legacy Fund builds on that mission by supporting REquipment and the initiatives that reflect Bob’s lifelong commitment to access, opportunity and inclusion.
Every registration, donation, sponsorship and fundraising effort surrounding 5K Bob’s Way helps make that work possible.
The Beginning of a New Tradition
The inaugural 5K Bob’s Way brought together many of the things Bob cared about most: movement, community, inclusion and the opportunity for people with disabilities to pursue their goals.
It also demonstrated what his legacy can look like moving forward.
It can mean helping someone access the equipment they need to live more independently. It can mean supporting a young athlete like Mary as she pursues bigger goals. And it can mean creating opportunities for people of all abilities to come together and participate side by side.
Thank you to every participant, volunteer, sponsor, donor, family member and community partner who helped make the first 5K Bob’s Way possible, including Run the Gamut, College Hype, and Pizzaiolo Domenico for their support.
And congratulations to Mary MacDonald, the inaugural Bob Hall Rising Athlete Award winner.
The inaugural 5K Bob’s Way marked the beginning of a new tradition, one we look forward to carrying forward for years to come.
Run The Gamut volunteers beneath the finish arch during the first 5K Bob’s Way.
Help Keep Bob’s Legacy Moving
The race may be over, but the work continues.
Support for the Bob Hall Legacy Fund helps expand mobility, independence and opportunity for people with disabilities while carrying forward Bob’s commitment to access and inclusion.
