ICYMI: Acton Wheelchair Racer to Compete in Boston Marathon

Editor's note: This story was originally written earlier this week. In case you missed it, the story is below.

ACTON, MA—On April 18, Acton resident Katrina Gerhard will take on a race that thousands have completed before her, but with hurdles that few have been able to overcome.

Gerhard, who competes for the University of Illinois wheelchair racing team, will compete in the wheelchair racing women's division of the Boston Marathon on April 18, according to a report by Wicked Local Acton. Gerhard was diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, a disease caused by damage to the myelin sheath of the peripheral nerves, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

“I’m just looking forward to being back on the East Coast. I miss it so much. It’s going to be really cool recognizing the streets that I’m on and coming to the home city, having grown up in Acton,” Gerhard told Wicked Local's Molly Loughman.

Gerhard, a 2015 graduate of Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, won the 2014 B.A.A. Half Marathon title in the push rim wheelchair division with a time of 1:28:09 at the age of 17.

“I think it was really encouraging to realize I had been doing it for so little time, and that I was already able to do so much,” Gerhard told the Boston Globe. “Being able to imagine what I could do in the next few years or the next decade was really cool.“

Wicked Local Acton also reports that Gerhard will be competing in the New York City Half Marathon on March 20. The women's push-rim wheelchair division kicks off at 9:19 a.m. on April 18.

Photo via the Boston Athletic Association website.