Hollie and Jonah Hughes

If you ran the second annual marathon at the Jim Thorpe Area Running Festival on Sunday 5/23, you might have felt a slight breeze and caught a quick glimpse of Hollie Hughes pushing her 10 year old son Jonah in a Team Hoyt Running Chair as they blurred past.

As Hollie describes, "Jonah has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy and a very rare epilepsy syndrome, but his passion is running. It is what drives him. Running and racing together brings us both an immense amount of joy and provides him with a sense of community and accomplishment. For the last few years, training and racing really have been motivating factors that he's used in all facets of his life. I know it might seem strange to say that about a 10 year-old, but if you met him, you'd totally understand. He loves competing and being engaged within the running community. He cheers for every runner out on the course and even the volunteers at the aid stations." 

The full marathon in Jim Thorpe was their first race since the Wineglass Marathon of October 2019, which they ran together in 3:05. That spring, they set a still-pending Guinness World Record for pushing a running wheelchair in the half marathon at the Indy Mini Marathon in a time of 1:24. 

On Sunday, even as the temps and humidity soared, Hollie and Jonah ran the marathon in 3:06:05, capturing 2nd overall female honors for Hollie (11th overall) and an age-group championship for Jonah.

If you'd like to see Jonah's Jim Thorpe race recap video and learn more about Hollie and Jonah's Journey, you can find Hollie on Instagram @runrchic1.