Twin brothers Dan and Matt Murray are ready to take on the Buffalo Marathon this Sunday, which is the first of three major races they plan to complete this year to raise awareness for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The race chair Matt will sit in while Dan pushes him has arrived, giving the brothers and their coaching team time to prepare more accurately ahead of the race.
Patrick Moran, a run coach with Pace Buffalo, said the team has been working through the logistics of navigating the course safely.
"We're obviously taking a look at me, my background being in physical therapy, how he's going to be able to handle these turns."
Moran said the chair's front wheel does not move freely, adding another layer of preparation.
"The front wheel doesn't necessarily move. So it's how can he shift his weight in order to be able to not hurt himself and make sure that Matt doesn't tip."
Dan said the brothers have been using the time since the chair arrived to dial in the details.
"Kind of feeling it out, see what we need to adjust and you know things we got to tweak, so we're going to take that the next few days, and get him ready, get him comfortable. Fine-tune it, so we're excited."
Matt said sitting in the chair for the first time eased some of his concerns.
"It's definitely a lot better once we got to sit in it. The chair is pretty comfortable, so I was a little nervous about that, but, yeah, I think it should go well now that we've finally gotten it."
Support from the Western New York community has also been building. Since a previous story on the brothers aired two weeks ago, donations have surged.
Dan said the response has been overwhelming.
"Since the last story came out, we've had over almost another $10,000 in donations, so we got everything covered for Chicago. We got all our accommodations covered and now it's just raising as much money as we can for the Muscular Dystrophy Association."
Lawley Insurance and the Buffalo Professional Firefighters Local 282 are among the donors, with Local 282 pledging $1,000 per race across all 3 races.
The uniforms are set, and Dan said the team feels ready.
"I think we're ready. I think we've done all we can. I think this week it really came together for him and I as brothers and the team as a whole."
Moran said the moment carries real weight.
"It is just such a momentous occasion and then to do this for muscular dystrophy and just the awareness of that, it's awesome."
The Buffalo Marathon begins Sunday at 6:30 a.m. at Delaware Avenue and Huron Street. The race finishes in front of the Buffalo Convention Center on Franklin Street in downtown Buffalo. The brothers are aiming to cross the finish line between 11 a.m. and noon.
After Buffalo, the Murrays plan to compete in the Chicago Marathon and the New York City Marathon.
