Interview with Bob Hall

Bob Hall is the Wheelchair Division coordinator for the BAA and the owner and President of New Hall's Wheels, a wheelchair sports and recreation equipment manufacturer in greater Boston. In 1975, Hall was the first athlete to race the Boston marathon in a wheelchair. Hall discusses the history of rolling the Boston Marathon, the athletics of racing this event, Jean Driscoll, and the Boston Marathon Wheelchair Division today.

History of wheelchair racing at Boston

Q: What prompted you to try the Boston marathon?

BH: In 1974 I ran my first marathon in Toldeo, Ohio, and I won that race, I won quite easily. These competitors that I raced, had talked, immediately after the race, about doing the Boston marathon which I thought was crazy. I knew what I was doing. I was training. I was fit. I knew the distance. I was up for the challenge. It really didn't matter to me whether it was the mile or a marathon distance that I prepared to do. In this case they wanted me to do Boston. I wanted to compete and win, I also bet on the line my wheelchair. I had just bought new equipment. My first wheelchair was stolen from me, my second one was borrowed and third one I won on a bet, and that was to finish the Boston marathon. So that was the beginning for me of continuous athletic improvement, and success

Q: Were you officially recognized as a competitor in 1975?

BH: I had respect for the event, for the race, so I didn't just show up. I had written to Will Cloney, the race director. I told him of my win the previous year, that I and others were coming to Boston, that we wanted to race the Boston marathon, we were legitimate in terms of our abilities and our expectations. So he wrote back saying that he couldn't give me a number, that he'll recognize me if I finish under 3:30. And that was my goal, to break 3:30. So he didn't close the door on me, he just opened it a little bit.

Q: Did you realize at the time the impact you would have by completing the Boston course in a wheelchair?

BH: I knew what Boston was all about, having been from Boston. But to actually experience it as an athlete is a whole different world. I didn't really understand what I was doing perhaps until I had actually experienced the course... having the strength to do it, it was like a whole new world for me. I knew that things were going to be different, not just for me but for a lot of people. It was an experience that I believe a lot of people should share and should experience like I did, in a very positive way. I had never been through something that was so positive, so rewarding. It's opened the doors, and has opened people's minds to the abilities and capabilities of people with disabilities.

Q: Do you feel a sense of pride, or accomplishment when you see the number of wheelchair athletes who have come after you to test themselves on this course?

BH: They're all my children...all my grandchildren. I'm known to be the grandfather. But I certainly do feel a bit of that success. In a sense this marathon has shaped Jean's attitude towards sport and she's gone on to win 6 marathons and perhaps a seventh. That stands alone and that may never be accomplished ever again. And that is very exciting for me to have just a minor part of that opportunity.

Q: How much resistance was there early on to creating the wheelchair division?

BH: What was going on was, you had the marathon people saying, sure you can come and then you had people organizing the wheelchair race and they wanted it separate, so the two never came together because they didn't want to Those that were in charge of "wheelchair division" that was held in conjunction with the Boston Marathon, had an agenda that I thought was counter productive to the future of our success. So fortunately that was able to be changed. That Boston was able to be kept as a sporting event and not a cause. To me it's obvious, it's an athletic event. We all have our own causes, but we all have different disabilities for whatever reasons. And I never thought of myself as a part of a disability group. I always thought of myself as an athlete. That has always come first. From that, residually speaking, there may be causes that need to be supported but the sport comes first.

Q: Why is it so important for wheelchair athletes to compete at Boston on the same day on the same course as the able bodied athletes?

BH: To do Boston by ourselves on different day on a different course, it's not the Boston marathon and the only way to do it is to be all-inclusive. The whole process has to include people with disabilities, those of us who use wheelchairs. Initially, you know, it was a novelty, but than as it's sort of grown and succeeded and become included in all activities in all events, people have come to respect our abilities, and come to admire our accomplishments because of our dedication through training, perseverance perhaps. We have a disincentive to train because of the cost of the equipment or other reasons, or isolation in a sense. But the training is still the same. You must do it every day, you must do it twice a day. You must have a complete program on hills, distance speed. It's very similar to what a runner might be doing with some cross training like swimming or weight training. The end goal being, get to the finish line as fast as possible. I 've always wanted Boston to be held with the utmost respect. That people come to Boston to make a big deal about it, and it should be made a big deal out of in that we present ourselves that the whole world is watching. It is something to be very proud of and I think Boston has shown people what people can do if given the opportunity. But it's not quite perfect.

Athletics of running Boston

Q: What is the biggest challenge for an athlete running the Boston Marathon?

BH: I don't really think the Boston marathon has a great challenge. The greatest challenge is coming to the race prepared. The course is incredible in terms of the opportunities to succeed. If you're fit, if you're ready, you'll do quite well. The crowds, the course demand that. The greatest challenge is probably mental, getting to the finish line in certain stages of, in a sense, of mental well being and physically holding up.

Q: How fast do wheelchair athletes run a marathon today?

BH: Well at the level of where the sport is now in the marathon distance, my first marathon was 2:58 back in 1975, and 74 did my first marathon in 2:54 My goal in Boston the following year was to break the 3 1/2 hours because I heard about the coarse the hills and I thought that was a worthy goal, and I was lucky to break three hours. Today speeds of twice that are now wining, under 1:30 for the marathon maybe the low 1:20's for the men particularly, low 1:30's for the women and winning a lot of races. But the question asked of me is, what could I do a marathon in today? Well, I say, what would I do 20 years ago in today's chair? What could Mustapha Badid or anybody else do in a similar chair that I used 20 years ago. We'll never know. I did last years Boston. in 1:47, not bad, considering

Q: How has racing chair technology changed since you first raced at Boston?

BH: Well, the chair I had twenty years ago folded, had a tall back, had a footrest that moved, weighed about fifty pounds or close to that. It was fat rear tires, and hard front tires. Today's chairs weigh fifteen pounds, made out of aluminum versus steel. They're lightweight, aerodynamic in design, efficient in positioning, and utilize high tech racing wheels and bearings that weren't available twenty years ago. They also allow us to race at higher speeds safer, and more comfortable in sense, and coordinately allow us to go faster and produce more records.

Jean Driscoll

Q: Both Jean Driscoll and Marty Morse have said that you were an inspiration to them. How do you feel about that?

BH: Let me just back up and say that I'm really flattered that Marty Morse - Jean's coach and Jean herself have credited me with some motivation and perhaps inspiration to do road racing in Boston. That it's kind of exciting for me, and rewarding to be recognized like that. But the key to her success is her ability, her attitude, and her vision, her drive, that's a complete package. She has the opportunity in Illinois and through coaching, through equipment to put forth her best effort at every Boston marathon the past six years.

Q: Elaborate on the elements that make Jean so successful on the Boston course?

BH: Well, Jean has very good technique, she's very strong. Pound for pound she's probably perhaps the strongest woman racing in Boston. She's obviously had great success so she know the hills quite well, she knows where they are and what they're all about. She's not as intimidated, one, by the competition, nor by the course which is a big plus. They're probably other people who could beat her, but the package isn't perhaps there as it is for Jean. They're other women that perhaps roll better, perhaps descend down hills better,perhaps had better speed, but they don't provide themselves with the opportunities to win in Boston, or at least they haven't yet.

Q: Who should Jean's be concerned about as far as her competition at the 1996 Boston?

BH: I think Jean's competition is Deana Sodoma, Rose Wiegand, Louise Sauvage, and Candace Cable. I'm not sure if any one of those will be able to compete with Jean, I'm sure they'll give it they're best shot. And it's like a survival of the fittest. Slowly one by one they seem to fall off. Anything could happen in Boston , that's what Boston is all about. Not many predictions come true. Perhaps Deanna, and Louise are maybe the favorites to give Jean some pressure but I wouldn't be surprised if Rose does pretty good in the process too. Anything could happen, even Candace Cable who has won five times can rise to the occasion and equal what Jean has already done, win six times.

Q: What does it mean to wheelchair athletics for Jean to win her seventh Boston marathon?

BH: I think Jean Driscoll winning her seventh Boston marathon will have a greater impact on Boston and a great impact on the running community than perhaps the wheelchair community. Because the running community knows what it's all about to win one, let alone win seven. I think wheelchair racing is so new, there's so few people that could win they can't necessarily relate to that success. I think the media, the public at large will have a great sense of what she's accomplished and will appreciate that.

The Boston Marathon Wheelchair Division

Q: How does the Boston Marathon rank in the world of wheelchair athletics?

BH: I think the Boston Marathon is the premiere marathon for the world, specifically for the wheelchair division. It's placed us on the map of success. It has established us as the athletes of an equal and there's no other race like this that gives us the opportunity to succeed and show our abilities. I think that the Boston marathon is on an equal or a higher plain than the Olympics or the Paralympics.

Q: Does the 100th running have significance for the wheelchair division?

BH: Frankly for the hundredth, it probably means nothing. I think for a lot of people with disabilities, it's new to them. One, using a wheelchair. Two, just being in a marathon, particularly Boston. And unless you run it, unless you have experienced sports, you don't really know what Boston is all about until you get here and until you experience it. So for some, it's perhaps the best race, the only race to win. They come to Boston to see what Boston is all about. It's not quite the same as the running community who have a hundred years of tradition. Our tradition here in Boston is very small in terms of numbers, but very strong in terms of quality, and performance

Q: How could the wheelchair division at Boston be improved?

BH: The wheelchair division of the Boston marathon, it's almost...I'm saying it sensitively, it's almost patronage. You just can't do it a little bit, you've got to do all of it correct. A few things are missing in this race to make us whole, in a sense with this event. We need to have drug testing, we need to have a greater sense of prize money. We need to have a greater depth of prize money. We need to have live TV coverage. And this year we brought this to the table. The question about television coverage has been asked many times over many many years by myself, and I have not been satisfied with the answers that I've received. But this year, kinda knowing the politics of the game. I came to the table with the financial opportunity to pay for it outright no questions asked and that placed the administration in a particular corner of what to do with this because, number one, I'm not a sponsor. Number two, I don't have any ulterior motive other than to show the race which I think is very very important in it's total package. There are 49 million people with disabilities beside those of us who are in the event. And we have friends who are marketing for us and this was an injustice not being carried out not having the opportunity to be shown live. My fear was that the decision wouldn't be made until the last moment. In some ways procrastination is a way of answering the decision. And that is just what happened. It was tabled probably a few months ago in hopes that I would go away. Well I think for the future I've certainly raised that sensitive issue and they're very well aware that there's an opportunity there. That the world is watching to see how they're going to change. I think they're going to have to make a change. And at least I've raised more than some eyebrows.

Q: Why do you think people would be interested in watching the wheelchair race on TV?

BH: Well, I believe that the public would be very interested in watching the wheelchair race as it unfolds throughout different stages of the coarse. Both the men and women. Yes, there is interest in the running race, however I think the people can relate, greater to the wheel chair division. They would appreciate more our efforts than perhaps some of the runners. And that's not to diminish what the runners have done. I think that this race and other races need to fill some void sometimes. Make the race complete by showing the whole picture of the race that includes the wheelchair division.

Q: The number one place in the running division is awarded $100,000 while number one in the wheelchair division earns $15,000. Should the prize money be more equal?

BH: Well, I think that if prize money here in Boston was equal to that of the male and female able-bodied winners that the media would have a greater respect for us in terms of who we are and what we're doing. Right now we're basically given a financial opportunity to that of a masters, yet we have our own identity. We're pushing racing wheelchairs versus running. At the same time we're looked upon maybe as...just slightly different, not really understood by the masses, particularly the media. And that would change if the sponsors give us respect in terms of financial rewards like they give the runners. Very few of the media is actually, at least here in Boston that are well known, actually talk to those that earn less than 6 figures At the top level of media, they're not including us that play with disabilities. It should be equal across the board for men and women, and there should be quad prize money for showing a different ability, no questions asked.

Q: What is your response to men that argue that women should not receive equal prize money because there are fewer women competing?

BH: Those men are just sour grapes and if there's greater money for everybody, more people would come out, people would have opportunities to succeed and create new athletes and break records and think that's what it's all about

Q: What do you hope for the future of wheelchair racing?

BH: Well, I hope that as we grow with this sport that companies like Nike and Reebok and John Hancock and other major corporations, top 500 corporations look upon people with disabilities as athletes. And therefore warrant the same type of contractual arrangements that a Michael Jordan or similar types of athletes receive in terms of endorsements and financial opportunities. We need races like Boston to grow and develop for us, as well as other races to share and show our abilities.