Not all the athletes participating in Sunday's Arizona Distance Classic in Oro Valley will pound the pavement with their feet.
Some 15 athletes will compete in the wheelchair division of the Valley of Gold Half Marathon.
Wheelchair racers leave the starting line at 6:55 a.m., followed by a 7 a.m. start for all other half marathon participants.
Sunday's Arizona Distance Classic includes the Northwest Medical Center Oro Valley 5K run/walk and a kids fun run. More than 1,000 runners and walkers participated in last year's half marathon and 5K.
All events start at Ventana Medical Systems Inc., 1910 E.Innovation Park Drive.
Most of the wheelchair athletes participating in the race compete or train for the University of Arizona's Wheelchair Track and Road Racing Team.
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"I hope everyone comes out and experiences what wheelchair racing is all about," said competitor Sean Eres.
Eres, 24, said spectators do not always understand how serious wheelchair racers are. They sometimes confuse the competitors with Special Olympians or think they are riding bicycles, said Eres, who has been racing for 19 years.
Wheelchair athletes compete in high-performance three-wheel chairs that can weigh from 15 to 25 pounds and are 70 inches long, Eres said.
"It takes a lot of strength," he said.
Pete Hughes, the UA's Wheelchair Track and Road Racing team head coach, said he would like to see the Arizona Distance Classic become a premier road race for wheelchair athletes.
Two paralympians — Shirley Reilly and Steve Toyoji — who competed in the Paralympic Games in Beijing in September — will be part of Sunday's field.
Reilly and Toyoji both train with Hughes.
"It's going to be a good opportunity to get out and show the community what we are all about," Toyoji said.
If you go
• What: Arizona Distance Classic
• When: Sunday
• Where: Ventana Medical Systems Inc., 1910 E. Innovation Park Drive, Oro Valley
• Start times: Half Marathon Wheelchair, 6:55 a.m.; Valley of Gold Half Marathon, 7 a.m.; Northwest Medical Center Oro Valley 5K Run/Walk, 7:15 a.m.; Kids Fun Run, 10 a.m.
• For more information: Go online to arizonadistanceclassic.com
