Curtis Hargrove has run marathons in three-inch heels and walked hundreds of miles across Alberta, but this October he is trying something different: running all 26.2 miles of the Chicago Marathon in ankle-foot orthotics, the same kind of rigid medical braces a Chicago-area girl named Aggie Rupnick has worn since she was a toddler.
Hargrove, a Canadian endurance athlete, bought the orthotics on Amazon specifically to prepare for the race, according to WGN-TV. The Scottish Rite for Children offers a guide to ankle-foot orthosis devices. Aggie relies on custom-molded versions of the same equipment to help her move and was diagnosed with spina bifida during her 20-week ultrasound.
Hargrove will run on behalf of Team Aggie, joining Aggie's aunt Mandy, a medical research scientist who will be completing her 25th Chicago Marathon this year and has helped the team raise more than $30,000. Aggie's mother, Becky Rupnick, first reached out to Hargrove through social media, and he has since become a friend of the Rupnick family. WGN-TV reports that Hargrove has said his own injuries and pain during the race will be minor compared with what people living with spina bifida endure every day.
A Girl Who Dances and Bikes Despite the Odds
Becky Rupnick has said that Aggie's doctor recommended terminating the pregnancy after the diagnosis, according to the same WGN-TV account. Aggie now participates in adaptive biking and dance classes, and her family says Hargrove's presence in her life has pushed her to try activities independently.
Team Aggie plans to cheer along the marathon course on race day, and Hargrove and Aggie are expected to meet in person for the first time during race weekend. The Illinois Spina Bifida Association, whose legislative advocacy committee Becky Rupnick helped create, will field 34 runners in this year's race. Matt Larson, the organization's executive director, leads a group that serves a network of over 1,000 Illinois residents living with spina bifida, according to CBS Chicago, which also reported that Illinois held its first statewide Spina Bifida Awareness Day in October 2023 following the association's legislative advocacy. The group raises money for programs meant to improve quality of life for Illinois residents with the condition.
Spina bifida remains the country's most common permanently disabling birth defect, with roughly 1,250 to 1,400 infants born with it in the United States each year, per the CDC. CDC insurance claims data also indicate more than 92,000 insured Americans currently live with the condition.
A History of Painful Fundraising Stunts
This is not the first time Hargrove has put his body through extremes for a cause. In October 2024, he completed the Chicago Marathon wearing three-inch red high heels to raise money for domestic violence prevention organizations, enduring severe blisters and intense foot pain during the race, according to Lakeland Today. In 2013, he walked 185 miles from Cold Lake to Edmonton, Alberta, in women's high heels to raise awareness for domestic abuse survivors as part of an initiative for YWCA Edmonton.
Hargrove's endurance career stretches back to age 15 in 2004, and in 2007 he completed a run across British Columbia and Alberta, raising $50,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation, according to his Wikipedia entry. During a 2012 cross-Canada run aimed at raising $1 million for a children's hospital foundation, he was arrested in Quebec for running along the Trans-Canada Highway after refusing police orders to stop, according to the Edmonton Sun; after the arrest, he used Quebec Route 132, which runs parallel to the Trans-Canada Highway.
One Team Among Thousands on Marathon Sunday
The 48th Bank of America Chicago Marathon is set for Sunday, October 11, with more than 55,000 runners expected to cover 26.2 miles through 29 Chicago neighborhoods. The marathon includes official charity teams like the Illinois Spina Bifida Association. The marathon also has a charity program.
