On April 20, 51 wheelchair athletes — 33 men and 18 women — will compete in the 130th Boston Marathon.
But before 1975, there was no wheelchair division. That all changed when Bob Hall became the first person to officially complete the 26.2-mile race in under three hours. He went on to change the sport by designing wheelchairs for the next generations of racers.
Hall died over the weekend, the Boston Athletic Association announced Sunday. He was 74.
Among the local marathoners and adaptive sports community, Hall is being remembered as a pioneer whose innovation left a legacy worldwide.
“I never thought about what I was doing as ‘first’ or ‘unique.’ I was really doing it for myself,” Hall told GBH News last year. “I never even thought about the time. It was a ride of enjoyment.”
Hall inspired many wheelchair users to start racing. Will Lehr, who grew up on Long Island, was in high school at the time. He saw Hall’s photo in The New York Times and it changed his life.
“I’ve been in a wheelchair since I was a kid, so to see that was very impressive,” Lehr said. “It definitely triggered something in me.”
In 1977, Lehr competed in the Falmouth Road Race. “I had a great thrill of finishing second to Bob that year,” he said. Since then, Lehr, who is now 68, has competed in hundreds of races, including five Boston Marathons.
Lehr is one of more than 2,000 wheelchair athletes who have raced from Hopkinton to Boston since 1975 — a “remarkable” legacy, according to Jack Fleming, chief executive officer of the Boston Athletic Association.
“There was nothing, and then there was something because of Bob Hall,” Fleming said. “Bob had a vision, and it was for inclusion.”
When Hall finished the 1975 race, he used a clunky hospital-style wheelchair with four wheels. But today’s model is sleek with three wheels, which has led to much faster race times.
Local athletes say that’s a significant part of his legacy.
Jason Fowler will be racing in his 22nd Boston Marathon next week. After a spinal cord injury in 1991, a friend introduced him to Hall.
“[Hall] just wanted to do everything to make that as perfect as possible for me,” Fowler said. “Really what that meant for me was my freedom after an injury.”
Fowler bought his first wheelchair from Hall.
“[Hall] was in there welding and, even with his mobility challenges and everything, welding and fabricating these beautiful works of art that ... still some of those same techniques and designs have carried on to the chairs today,” Fowler said.
Hall also designed several chairs for Lehr.
“Bob was very keen to incorporate bicycle technology into some of his wheels,” Lehr said. “He really helped pioneer the idea of building a chair around the individual and their needs, whether it was a racing chair or an everyday chair.”
At last year’s Marathon, Hall served as the grand marshal to mark the 50th anniversary of his historic race. Fleming said it was an “emotional” weekend, as athletes from all over the world got to thank him for his contributions to the sport.
“Here were the very best athletes, not just pro wheelchair division athletes, [who] were coming over to Bob and saying, ‘Thank you,’” Fleming said.
Marcel Hug, who has won the men’s wheelchair division eight times, celebrated the meeting at the anniversary last year. He shared on social media that one of his first racing chairs was built by Hall.
“Meeting Bob Hall, the pioneer who paved the way for wheelchair athletes at the Boston Marathon 50 years ago, was truly inspiring. His courage and determination opened doors for all of us,” he wrote. “Thank you for inspiring generations!”
Fleming said he hopes the Marathon can continue embrace more inclusion of athletes with disabilities.
“It is definitely our hope [that] what Bob did carries on bigger, better and forever,” he said.
GBH’S Craig LeMoult contributed reporting.
