ORLANDO, Fla. – Thousands of athletes are lacing up for Saturday’s OUC Orlando Half Marathon, but race organizers say they’re already preparing for a landmark change coming next year.
Track Shack, the event’s longtime producer, announced Friday that the 2026 race will debut its first-ever Intellectual Impairments Division, a major step toward expanding inclusivity as the half marathon prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
At the race expo held at The Plaza Live, Track Shack leaders said the new division will give more athletes a chance to compete on one of Central Florida’s biggest running stages.
“Today’s announcement is about continuing that legacy,” said Alicia Albert, Track Shack’s senior event director. “I’m making sure the next chapter is ever more inclusive than the last.”
[WATCH BELOW: Orlando breaks ground on new fire station in nearly 2 decades]
Organizers say the initiative was inspired by adaptive athletes who have already made history on the course, among them Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete an IRONMAN, and Caleb Prewitt, an adaptive athlete competing this weekend in the DTO Challenge.
“It’s about raising the bar,” Nikic said. “We’re able to be independent overall.”
Other adaptive athletes at the expo say the addition of the division is a meaningful acknowledgment of their place within the running community.
[WATCH PREVIOUS COVERAGE WITH CHRIS NIKIC]
“It means the world to me, honestly,” Noah Billings said. “Just to have this huge community of many different races with many different mental and physical disabilities… it just means there’s a community for me out there.”
Fellow athlete Frank Russell said he’s been training hard to be part of the growing field of runners.
“I’ve been running every day, about a 10K,” he said.
Organizers say this weekend’s race is as much about celebrating the sport’s progress as it is about competition. The hope is that the new division will open doors for more athletes to participate for years to come.
Track Shack expects to see more adaptive athletes than ever at Saturday’s event, with thousands of runners set to line up early in downtown Orlando.