For 28-year-old Gio Alaimo, Sunday’s TCS New York City Marathon will be a team effort: he plans to push his 22-year-old cousin Luigi Sorce 26.2 miles in a customized racing wheelchair. Sorce, who was born with cerebral palsy that has limited his mobility, hopes the race will let him see the city he has long dreamed of visiting.
Alaimo and Sorce are entered as a Duo Team, according to ABC7 New York. Sorce is from Agrigento, Sicily, and the station reports that he suggested applying for the marathon as a way to see New York in a single day. The cousins applied together and were accepted.
Months of Training Through the Five Boroughs
After their entry was confirmed about four months before the race, Alaimo began training around New York City by pushing the racing chair, according to the station’s account. He has said the preparation has been difficult, while noting that it is small compared with the challenges his cousin has faced.
Alaimo has described the goal as helping Sorce experience the city and said his cousin’s happiness matters most. He also hopes their participation will show that taking part is not defined by the ability to walk, but by the support and belief of those around you, according to ABC7.
A Course With Its First Change in 15 Years
The cousins will take on a route that looks slightly different this year. According to NYRR, the 2026 course includes minor adjustments in the Bronx — the first time the marathon's path has changed in 15 years. The race also marks a symbolic milestone: NYRR notes the marathon was first run along New York City's streets on October 24, 1976, meaning this edition lands on its 50th anniversary.
Duo teams like Alaimo and Sorce's exist under a specific exception. NYRR's rules otherwise prohibit entry by someone who will be pushed or pulled in a wheelchair or stroller, unless that person has been invited to participate in the Duo Team Exhibition, the organization states. Separately, NYRR says eligible Para Athletics competitors in the 2026 race must have a permanent visual, intellectual, or physical disability affecting their ability to participate in NYRR races, and must be able to self-propel the marathon distance within the 8-hour, 3-minute course time limit.
What a Duo Team Means
According to NYRR’s 2026 participation terms, Duo Teams compete in an exhibition category; finishers receive no awards and are not ranked by age group or gender. The format differs from the Para Athletics division described in NYRR’s eligibility rules above, where eligible competitors must propel themselves over the marathon distance.
Assisted marathon participation also has a documented precedent in Boston. The Boston Athletic Association says Dick and Rick Hoyt began running the Boston Marathon together in 1980, with Dick pushing his son in a custom racing chair; they completed 32 Boston Marathons, finishing together for the last time in 2014. The Hoyts were father and son, while Alaimo and Sorce are cousins participating in New York’s Duo Team Exhibition.
Alaimo and Sorce aren't the only family pairing drawing attention to this year's field. Per Gazzetta, a young man named Cristian, described as a person with disabilities, is also set to take part in Sunday's marathon alongside guide Maria Luisa Garatti and two additional guides — Garatti's fifth time returning to run in New York and her twentieth marathon overall, the outlet reports.
How to Watch Race Day Coverage
As race day approaches, Alaimo has said he expects the experience to be deeply meaningful for both cousins and for those cheering them on, according to ABC7.
Viewers can follow the race across multiple platforms. WABC-TV Channel 7 will begin pre-race coverage at 7:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, with live race coverage running from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. ET, and ABC7NY.com will carry a live view of the finish line from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. ABC 7 and ESPN2 have broadcast the TCS New York City Marathon since 2013.
