December was especially challenging for Sebastian Rosado. The 26-year-old from San Juan, Puerto Rico, took on something he never had before: 21K over 30 days.
Racing is nothing new for Rosado, who was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. Though most of his life has been confined to a wheelchair, he has done at least one race a year since 2011 in his wheelchair.
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It was about a decade ago that his mother was training for a race in Puerto Rico, and Sebastian asked if he could accompany her. She’d have to push him in the wheelchair because his arm functions are limited, and she was okay with that. However, the race wouldn’t allow it.
Instead, after consulting with Sebastian’s physical therapist, Sebastian’s family decided to make a race for children who also had neurological disorders and benefits Centro María de Los Angeles, which hosts an annual month-long camp and is now raising money to create a care center for children in Puerto Rico.
The race is called Córrelo, Camínalo o Ruédalo, which translates to Run it, Walk it or Roll it. It gives runners like Rosado a chance to prove that despite being told from a young age that they might not be able to do things in their lives, they too can become what they wish to be in life.
“He’s an athlete,” Jaime, Rosado’s father, tell Runner’s World. “To do this, it depends on your energy, your enthusiasm, and your stamina. Those are the qualities of an athlete, and Sebastian has them because he works as hard as anyone.”
Nine years later, the 10th edition of the now 5K race is happening virtually on January 10. Rosado has run it every year using a special walker, which is fairly heavy to support him and tough to move with limited mobility in his legs.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the race moved to being virtual, but athletes adapted to the changes as they—and the race—have done before.
In 2018, after Hurricane Maria devastated the country, the race was canceled. Instead of taking the year off, Rosado instead reached out to and received permission from the Miami Marathon to have a team relay him in his wheelchair for most of the race. Then, with two miles to go, he’d get out and complete the final stretch using his walker.
The pandemic presents another challenge, but one that Rosado welcomes.
“It has been tough for him during the pandemic because he’s very sociable,” Jaime said. “He’s very enthusiastic, he loves music, and he’s always going to different places with his friends to listen to music. He’s been confined all this time and it’s been tough. This race is away for him to escape and do something he loves.”
Each year, Rosado tries to outdo his previous goal. Instead of just a 5K in 2020, he wanted to attempt to run 21K over 30 days. The number 21 is significant to Rosado, and many Puerto Ricans, as it is the number of native son and MLB legend Roberto Clemente.
Rosado’s plan is to complete the distance by January 9, accounting for completing 1K, at most, in a day and rest days in between each. You can still register here to run for and with people like Sebastian on January 10.
“He’s in very good shape,” Jaime said. “He’s been doin his 1Ks in basically an hour and that’s really good. When he did the 5K in 2016, it took him almost four hours. Based on the way he’s going now, I think he could do a 5K in three hours, which is great for him.”
Because of COVID restrictions in the country, Rosado is doing his 1K runs in his neighborhood in San Juan near the convention center. His parents stream it live on his Facebook page in hopes of continuing to prove that even with a neurological disorder, anyone is capable of things they’re told they might not be able to do.
“Sebastian used to train in a track and field facility close to home, and it’s amazing to hear runners telling him things like, ‘Wow, sometimes I don’t have the strength to train but when I see you doing this I feel that I have no excuses,’” Jaime said. “Yesterday, somebody told us that 62 swimmers are joining Sebastian’s challenge this month by swimming 800 meters each one. He is an inspiration.”
As always, Rosado is also raising money for Centro Mariá, which you can donate to here.
So far, Rosado has completed 14K. He plans to finish the last 7K by race day.
“Sebastian has a saying that your disability is not in your body, it’s in your mind,” Jaime said. “I think that’s really powerful. If you promise yourself you’ll do something, you can achieve it by using your mind.”
Drew covers a variety of subjects for Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand. His work has previously been published in Men’s Health.
