Teen With Cerebral Palsy PRs in Race Using Walker Mena Hawkins – Runner’s World

Courtesy of Opportunity Village

Seven years had passed since Mena Hawkins had attempted the Las Vegas Great Santa Run. Her first attempt at the one-mile race ended after the streets had already been reopened, leaving the then 10-year-old to finish the race on the sidewalk.

Her final time that year was 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Marathon Debut for Pro Runner With Cerebral Palsy

Despite finishing well behind the rest of the field, Hawkins wasnt defeated by her effort. The Henderson, Nevada, nativewho is now 17has cerebral palsy, a congenital disorder that affects movement and muscle tone or posture, which has always made walking a serious challenge. In school and most places, she uses a wheelchair to get around because it took too long to do tasks like walk between classes with her walker.

I always thought walking was a chore, Hawkins told Runners World. But when I did it more, I really started to enjoy it.

Her new passion for walking really took off in 2019, when Hawkins woke up one day earlier this year with a desire to not only walk, but to train. To help motivate herself to follow a workout plan, she signed up for the Great Santa Run.

In addition to running for herself, she also chose to raise money for the races charity, Opportunity Village, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities find jobs or pursue their dreams.

The most inspiring part of this years Santa Run, bar none, was Mena making her way down the final stretch of 10th street and crossing the finish line, Race Director Casey Parisi told Runners World. It was extremely moving and just an honor to be a part of her remarkable feat. Opportunity Village is proud to know Mena and the entire Hawkins family and is grateful for their contributions to our organization.

From April to December, she trained mostly in the gym with her father, Roger, focusing on weight training and core work for stability for when she uses her walker. She walked, too, but never as far as a full mile before race day.

On December 7, she started in the back of the pack and followed the crowd down 10th Street in Las Vegas. With the support of her extended family that came in from England, where Hawkins was born, and total strangers who were inspired by her efforts, she made her way to the finish line with her Crocodile reverse walker.

Courtesy of Opportunity Village

People just kept coming up and saying how proud they were that I could do it and to just keep going, Hawkins said. They were cheering for me and chanting, Go Mena.

With the cheers and chants, Hawkins was able to cross the finish line in 38 minutesmore than 40 minutes faster than her first attempt. She also exceeded her fundraising goal of $500 by raising a whopping $7,683.34 for Opportunity Village.

Things like this really help Mena come out of her inner self, Roger told Runners World. She enjoys giving back to the community, and it motivates her to inspire others. Thats why she wants to work toward working for a nonprofit or charity when she graduates [high school] next year.

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Inspired by her efforts, Mena has no intention of stopping. She isnt sure what her goal will be in 2020, but she wants to at least race another mile. That is, if she cant go even farther.

Im kind of thinking a 5K, but I dont know if that would be too much, Hawkins said. I hope I can continue training and work toward bigger goals because anyone can do this if they work hard, stay committed, and have fun.

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Teen With Cerebral Palsy PRs in Race Using Walker Mena Hawkins - Runner's World