Adam Gorlitsky to Race the Charleston Half-Marathon With Exoskeleton

The founder and powerhouse behind I Got Legs, Adam Gorlitsky, will be racing at the Charleston Half-Marathon this January 20th, 2024, in Charleston, South Carolina. Adam will be participating in the race to raise awareness and funds to expand access to walking-assist exoskeletons for para-athletes across the United States.

You can catch videos and updates on Adam’s progress on the I Got Legs Twitter (now X) account (link), or LinkedIn (link).

About I Got Legs:

Can you imagine a future in which paralyzed people can get up and compete just like Olympic racewalkers? What if that future is closer than we think? Dares to dream, I GOT LEGS, an organization dedicated to creating and promoting powered exoskeleton walking competitions.

The Global Innovation Challenge, CYBATHLON Exoskeleton Race, and the Exo Games are competitive events that aim to bring researchers and developers face-to-face with the challenges of everyday living or other similar tasks. In contrast, I GOT LEGS aims to create a brand new Paralympic sports discipline.

Funds raised from the Virtual Race are meant to create future training programs, organize the next competitions, and build a community around this potential new sport for people with walking disabilities.

The ultimate goal of the Exoskeleton Racing League (ERL) is to build enough support and data to create a new Paralympic sport “designed to empower individuals with paralysis to stand, walk, and race using cutting-edge exoskeleton technology.”

“When I am standing and walking in my robotic exoskeleton, I do not feel disabled, nor do I feel able-bodied; I feel ReEnabled,” Adam Gorlitsky, Founder of I GOT LEGS. Adam has completed multiple marathons over the last six years using his ReWalk Robotics powered exoskeleton.

I GOT LEGS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization “dedicated to ReEnabling the paralysis community to walk again,” with stated vision and goals to:

• Turn Exoskeleton Racing into a Paralympic + collegiate adaptive sport.
• Use the sport of Exoskeleton Racing as a catalyst to increase access to exoskeleton technology.
• Use the sport of Exoskeleton Racing as a catalyst to advance breakthrough paralysis research.

The I GOT LEGS website correctly reminds its visitors that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not specifically prohibited using powered exoskeletons for sports or recreational activities. Still, it has not approved them for these purposes either, so using the device is considered “off-label” (see: Intended Use of the 11 FDA-Approved Medical Exoskeletons in 2023). The race organizers correctly state that current powered walking assist exoskeletons should be used with a qualified health professional and/or certified walking partner.

For more information, visit https://www.igotlegs.org or the I GOT LEGS YouTube Channel.