Andrew Shasteen can’t run in the so Jennifer Kovacic runs for him.
Shasteen, 21, was born premature with cerebral palsy and spent the first six months of his life in the hospital. His motor skills are limited and his mobility is mostly limited to a green wheelchair.
Running CA Notice at Collection IRun4 program, which is designed to have runners dedicate their runs and races to a person who is physically unable to run.
Kovacic, 38, is a former special education teacher and running coach who was looking for something to motivate her running.
Together, Kovacic, who lives in Burbank, California, and Shasteen, who lives in Salem, Ohio, started “Team J.D.” They communicate through the IRun4 Facebook group, posting runs and encouragement.
Soon after Kovacic started running for Shasteen, he wanted to roll for her. So he convinced his mom, Christina Castles-Helman, to push him while she ran on trails.
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“When he wanted to run, it inspired me to run,” Castles-Helman says. “The faster we run, the more he inspires me. He holds his fist up in the air and yells, ‘Fast, Mom. Fast.’”
Castles-Helman also encouraged Shasteen to train for a 50-meter special needs walk, which he completed last September for Kovacic.
“I am so inspired by him,” Kovacic says. “It’s like I don’t remember my running life before dedicating all of my miles to him. It has changed the way I run.”
Team J.D. decided to run in this year’s Summer Run Streak to celebrate the one-year anniversary of their running partnership.
The team has added more members — Kovacic’s kids — and a new motto, “run on, roll on, right on, streak on.” Together, they have run almost 100 miles.
Each day, they share updates on how far they have gone on Facebook.
“He’s always so excited to hear how far Jenny went today and let her know how far we went today,” Castles-Helman says. “He is a wheelchair user, but in his own right, is a runner.”
Although the two have never met, Kovacic doesn’t want to stop running with Shasteen.
“We share life through running,” Kovacic says. “I feel like I’m right there, cheering him on. I hope to run with him, alongside him, for as long as I can.”
Have an interesting story about the #RWRunStreak? Email intern@runnersworld.com and you might be a Streaker of the Week!
Austin Schempp grew up running near mountains in Loveland, Colorado, and stayed near mountains in college as a journalism student at the University of Montana in Missoula. His main passion is writing feature stories, especially when crazy, inspirational runners are involved. A huge fan of the Pacific Northwest and rainy weather, he’s always ready to run, hike, or travel to a new place.
