Frame Running: The Adaptive Sport Making Its Paralympic Debut at LA28
- Shane Riddle
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
Frame Running — known until recently as RaceRunning — is one of the most exciting stories in adaptive athletics. It gives people who cannot run unaided the chance to run independently, at speed, on a three-wheeled frame built for balance and support. After decades of grassroots growth, the sport has reached a milestone: the men's and women's 100m T72 events will make their Paralympic debut at the LA28 Games in Los Angeles. This post covers what Frame Running is, who it's for, how the frame works, and how to get involved and sits alongside our wider look at the world of adaptive sports.
Key Takeaways
Independent running, by design: Frame Running lets athletes with significant balance and coordination impairments run on a supportive three-wheeled frame, often for the first time.
It's a frame, not a bike: the running frame has a saddle, a body-support plate and handlebars — but no pedals. Athletes propel themselves with their own feet.
Cerebral palsy is the core community: the sport began as a way for people with cerebral palsy and similar conditions to experience running; recreational participation is broader.
A Para athletics discipline: competitors are classified T71 or T72 and race distances from short sprints upward, governed within World Para Athletics.
Headed to the Paralympics: Frame Running's 100m T72 events will debut at the LA28 Paralympic Games (15–27 August 2028) — a first in Paralympic history.
Table of Contents
What Frame Running Is
Frame Running is an adaptive athletics discipline for people with severe coordination and balance impairments. Athletes use a purpose-built three-wheeled running frame that supports their body weight, leaving their legs free to drive them forward. The result is genuine running, the athlete sets the pace, the power and the rhythm with the frame providing the stability they would otherwise lack.
The sport was announced as an official World Para Athletics track discipline in 2017, taking its place alongside ambulant running and wheelchair racing. It was renamed from RaceRunning to Frame Running in 2020, a change approved by the International Paralympic Committee to better describe how the equipment actually works.
Who Frame Running Is For
Frame Running was created for, and remains centred on, people who cannot functionally run and who rely on aids for mobility and balance. Cerebral palsy is the most common reason athletes come to the sport, though it also welcomes people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, acquired brain injury and stroke. At a recreational level the door is wider still, with clubs running come-and-try sessions for a broad range of participants.
At the competitive end, England Athletics describes Frame Running as a discipline for athletes with severe coordination and balance impairments, where the wheeled frame lets the legs propel the athlete while helping with balance. Competitors are placed into two World Para Athletics sport classes:
Class | Who it's for? |
T71 | Athletes with a greater degree of coordination impairment |
T72 | Athletes with a lesser degree of coordination impairment |
These classes replaced the older RaceRunning categories, bringing the sport fully into the standard Para athletics classification system.
How the Running Frame Works
This is where the original name caused confusion, a running frame is not a tricycle or a bike. The athlete stands within a three-wheeled frame and is held by a saddle and a body-support plate, with handlebars to hold and steer. There are no pedals. Instead, the athlete pushes against the ground with their own feet, exactly as a runner does, while the frame absorbs the balance demands their body cannot manage alone.
The design keeps a low centre of gravity for stability, and the saddle counteracts sideways sway and doubles as a seat for resting. Frames come in a range of sizes and set-ups to fit different heights, body shapes and ability levels from small children through to adult elite competitors. At all World Para Athletics events the frame must have a support saddle, a body-support plate, handlebars, two rear wheels and one front wheel.
What turns a running frame into this athlete's frame is the fitting, and it is the part that really unlocks the sport. Each frame is set up for the individual: the size is chosen for leg length and the amount of lateral stability the athlete needs, the saddle is adjusted for height, depth and comfort, and the handlebars can be raised, angled or extended to bring them within easy reach. That individual choice of saddle, body support and handlebars is what lets each athlete push their own fitness while the frame takes care of balance. The frames roll so freely that even children and adults who normally use powered wheelchairs can move themselves forward under their own power for many, the first independent movement they have ever experienced.
A Short History: From a Vacuum-Cleaner Pipe to the Paralympics
Frame Running began in Denmark in 1991. Danish Para athlete Mansoor Siddiqi wanted a faster, more dignified alternative to pushing a wheelchair backwards with his feet. Working with occupational therapist and Paralympian Connie Hansen, he built the first prototype from a broken bike, an office chair and a pipe taken from a vacuum cleaner. That improvised machine became the first running frame, then called the Race Runner.
From those origins the sport spread through Europe and beyond, nurtured by the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (now World Abilitysport). Running frames appeared as an exhibition event at the 1998 World Championships, became an official European Championships event in 2018, and have featured at World Para Athletics World Championships since 2019.
The Road to LA28
Frame Running's biggest moment is now on the horizon. The men's and women's 100m T72 events will be contested at the LA28 Paralympic Games, which run from 15 to 27 August 2028 — the first time Frame Running has appeared on the Paralympic programme. It is a landmark for a discipline that was left off the Paris 2024 programme, and a reward for years of advocacy by athletes, coaches and federations.
The debut is deliberately focused on the 100m sprint, the event where the sport is most developed internationally. Expect the road to Los Angeles to raise the profile of Frame Running considerably, drawing new athletes and new clubs into a sport that, until now, many people had never heard of.
Athletes to Watch
Frame Running already has a growing roster of world-class competitors. Great Britain's Gavin Drysdale is a two-time world champion and one of the sport's most prominent voices ahead of its Paralympic debut. Fellow Briton Kayleigh Haggo has been a dominant force and a long-standing champion. And in 2025, Greece's Ioannis Avramidis set a T71 400m world record of 1:47.25 at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland — a marker of how fast the sport's standards are rising.
Who Governs the Sport and Where to Find Your National Body
Frame Running sits within Para athletics. Internationally it is governed through World Para Athletics, with classification and sport development supported by World Abilitysport (formerly CPISRA) and its International Frame Running Committee. If you want to take part, the best first step is to contact the national or local body below and ask about running frames and come-and-try sessions.
Country | Where to start | What they cover |
Australia | RROZ, established through Disability Sports Australia, builds the sport from grassroots to competition; Frame Running now sits within Australian Athletics and Little Athletics pathways | |
United Kingdom | Frame Running is delivered through athletics clubs and CP Sport's start days, taster sessions and competitions | |
United States | Selects and supports Frame Running athletes for international competition |
Frame Running clubs also operate across Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Lithuania, Canada and elsewhere. If your country isn't listed, World Para Athletics and World Abilitysport are the right places to ask, and many national athletics federations can now point you to a local programme. For more on finding the right organisation near you, see our guide to adaptive sports associations.
The Benefits of Frame Running
The headline benefit is freedom of movement, the experience of running independently, under your own power. Two-time world champion Gavin Drysdale first used a frame at the age of five, and describes the moment in simple terms:
“I can remember falling in love with the sense of freedom and speed that frame running gave me. It was the first time I had run independently without any support from others,” — Gavin Drysdale, two-time world champion
Beyond that sense of liberation, regular Frame Running builds cardiovascular fitness, leg and core strength, and balance and coordination. Because it is low-impact, it suits a wide range of ages and abilities, from young children developing movement to adults training competitively. And like any club sport, it brings social connection — training partners, teammates and a community that turns up week after week. For many families it becomes a route into the wider world of adaptive sport.
Final Thoughts
Frame Running is a sport built around a simple, powerful idea: that running should be open to everyone, including people who have never been able to run on their own. From a prototype assembled out of spare parts in 1991 to a Paralympic event in 2028, its story is one of ingenuity, persistence and community. Whether you're an athlete chasing a world record or a parent looking for a first taste of independent movement for your child, there has never been a better moment to get involved. If you're exploring what's possible, our wider coverage of adaptive sports — from cerebral palsy sport to wheelchair basketball — is a good next stop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Frame Running the same as RaceRunning?
Yes. RaceRunning was renamed Frame Running in 2020 to better describe the equipment. You'll still see the old name in older articles and results.
Is a running frame a type of bike?
No. A running frame has three wheels, a saddle, a body-support plate and handlebars, but no pedals. The athlete propels themselves by pushing against the ground with their feet, and steers with their hands or arms.
How is a running frame fitted to the athlete?
Each frame is set up for the individual. The size is chosen for the athlete's leg length and the amount of lateral support they need, the saddle is adjusted for height, depth and comfort, and the handlebars can be raised, angled or extended so they sit within easy reach. Many clubs keep a range of frames, so a newcomer can be matched to the right one at a come-and-try session.
Who can take part in Frame Running?
The sport is designed for people with significant balance and coordination impairments, most commonly cerebral palsy. Recreationally, clubs welcome a broader range of participants — the best approach is to contact a local club and try a frame.
What distances do athletes race?
Events range from short sprints such as the 60m and 100m up through middle-distance track races, with longer road distances contested recreationally. The Paralympic event at LA28 is the 100m.
Will Frame Running be at the Paralympics?
Yes. The men's and women's 100m T72 events will make their Paralympic debut at the LA28 Games in Los Angeles, held from 15 to 27 August 2028.
How do I get started?
Contact your national body — RaceRunning Australia and Australian Athletics in Australia, England Athletics or CP Sport in the UK, or US Paralympics Track & Field in the US — and ask about come-and-try sessions and access to a running frame.
