Adaptive sport: Two Spanish athletes to cross the Andes in wheelchairs | OneFootball

It is one of the most spectacular and toughest trail running events in the world: 100 kilometers in three days across the Andes Mountains. Two athletes with disabilities, equipped with their adapted chairs, their smiles, and 15 lovers of ‘good running’ taking turns pushing them in a race that promises to be unforgettable, will participate for the first time in history in this challenge.

The first week of December 2025 is marked in bold on the calendar of the inclusive sports club Empujando Sonrisas. Fifteen amateur runners, fifteen friends, Mario (11 years old) and Pedro (22 years old) will cross the ocean to participate, for the first time ever, in El Cruce Saucony. Yes, because after 22 editions, this year’s event will, for the first time, feature two athletes with disabilities taking on one of the toughest trail runs in the world.

100 kilometers in three days in their adapted chairs across the Andes Mountains with two objectives: first, to show that if you want to, you can; and second, to leave Pedro’s chair with the organization so that all athletes with disabilities can take on this challenge in future editions without worrying about the cost of the chair. Thanks to Ramón Alba, manager of Uni Rasa, this is already a reality. They will run with the full cost of the chair covered.

There are nine months ahead, nine months of training and laughter, nine months to fulfill a dream and make history, because Mario and Pedro are going to make history and, above all, “they are going to have fun.” The most important thing “is that they enjoy themselves and that they are well, they are our priority,” recalls José Luis Fernández, Mario’s father.

A challenge that seeks to raise awareness, sensitize, and demonstrate that, with effort and the ability to overcome obstacles, athletes with functional diversity can participate in this type of race. A challenge that will make history and hopes to help many others.

This is El Cruce, one of the most beautiful races in South America

It is, without a doubt, the stage trail with the largest logistical deployment in the world, where every year “the route is redesigned in a new setting within the Argentine-Chilean Patagonia with the aim of merging sport with adventure and the discovery of unparalleled landscapes,” explains Joaquín Tagle, one of the organizers of El Cruce.

With 75% of registrations confirmed and a forecast of 8,000 runners, two of them will be very special and this edition “will be unforgettable for all of us. The energy and spirit of overcoming that Mario and Pedro will bring will add even more to the essence of El Cruce, showing that in the mountains, as in life, there are no limits when there is passion and determination,” says Tagle.

“When José Luis – Mario’s father – presented us with the proposal, the first thing was to analyze its feasibility together with our route and rescue team, who quickly gave their approval. From the very beginning, we felt proud that Empujando Sonrisas chose El Cruce to take on this challenge, as we know their seriousness, commitment, and passion for what they do,” he concludes.

Now there are many training sessions, many tests, and many challenges ahead for this group of friends who seek to break down barriers and ensure that their members, each and every one of them, enjoy a sport that for them is life. A challenge that will not only help other people with disabilities to run this race in future editions, but will also showcase, through social media, the day-to-day life of this ‘family’ to culminate the journey in a documentary that will leave no one indifferent.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.