As "Inspiration Week" continues, before "Fly to Rome" week begins, an amazing thing happened.
Bob Costas of NBC Sports and the host of the Rio Olympic Games, serendipitously appeared at my metaphorical doorstep here in Aspen when he came to speak at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Naturally, I cornered him and told him about the race2walk2016 project.
Being Bob, he listened intently and, by the time I was done explaining the details and asking him to make a video supporting the project, he was not only on board, he was more articulate about our goals than I am.
Under threatening skies, Bob came to the Aspen High School track, where I have been training, and, with generosity and warmth, spoke with Amanda Boxtel of the Bridging Bionics Foundation, speed coach James Aldridge and myself about the project. I can’t tell you what a boost it was to have him say kind things about both “The Running Decathlon” and our goal to buy a Bionic Suit. We will be rolling out the videos that we shot over the coming days and weeks as Bob prepares for the Olympics and I run my races.
I also had the opportunity to walk in the Bionic Suit for the first time. As Bob posed questions, I was able to experience what it is like to be assisted by a robotic device as I walked down the track. It was, on the one hand, a bit ungainly, and on the other a complete revelation. Bionic suits can help people make the transition from not just sitting to standing, but to actually walking. They are the future
Stay tuned to facebook at race2walk2016 or follow our blog posts here at race2walk2016.com. Donations are beginning to come in and we had two generous commitments this week from Laura Riegel and Michael Fuller.
We are on our way. July is Run Month.