SAN ANTONIO – It all started in 2012 at a men’s Bible study group, where Ross Ormond and Andrew McAllister met and shared their interests.
McAllister has cerebral palsy, but has always had a love for sports and the San Antonio Spurs.
McAllister kept asking about Ormond’s passion for running marathons. He was interested in what it’s like to go through the grueling experience of running 26.2 miles.
Eventually, the two became a duo and started running a team in 2017. They started with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and then entered their names into other upcoming events.
After years of bonding together and traveling around the world, McAllister and Ormond made history this past March as the first-ever duo team to complete the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, which include the Berlin, Boston, New York, London, Chicago and Tokyo marathons.
“Running is such a great sport and it’s something that I’ve gotten so much out of and I can’t even run, you know, physically run,” said McAllister. “And I’ve gotten the most out of it, but I had an opportunity, and what I say now is that if somebody offers you something, say yes because it could be that life-changing moment that you never knew was gonna come.”
McAllister’s passion for running marathons and building his bond with Ormond comes from admiration for Ross’s commitment.
“It’s such a selfless act, and I appreciate Ross because of my cerebral palsy; I need help,” said Andrew. “Ross is so special because up until Ross, I had not been able to accomplish sort of anything athletic-wise the way that I wanted to, because I love love sports, I love the Spurs, I love competition, and I really have never been able to compete at a level that I had hoped to.”
“For me to hear Andrew say these things, it warms my heart,” said Ross. “He’s a brother to me, and I would do absolutely everything for him. It’s me pushing, but what people don’t see is that interaction running and talking throughout the races, you know he is encouraging me and in a sense he’s really pulling me towards that finish line.”
The families of both Ormond and McAllister play a significant part in the logistics of traveling from San Antonio to all the marathon locations, and they also benefit from seeing McAllister accomplish things they never thought were possible.
“My parents travel with me and have traveled with me to every marathon; they’re really my hands and feet to get me ready for these marathons,” said McAllister. “To have my dad help me prepare for these races is very special because he gets to watch his son do something that he thought his son, sorry (McAllister pauses while getting emotional), would never be able to do, and so it’s really special for him to be able to do that.”
“None of what we’ve been able to do could have been done without help from everyone involved, and we feel strongly that anyone who comes into our lives is automatically part of the team,” said Ormond.
McAllister’s Believe It Foundation, which gives back to children with disabilities, has been a way for him to ensure the next generation of athletes can dream big.
“I started the Believe It Foundation in 2008, which is the inclusion of physically challenged children, to be able to be with typical people, sort of my life,” said McAllister, in part. “We expanded that to Believe it Run, which is the ability for folks with disabilities to be able to run and do stuff like Ross and I did. I want to see people grow beyond what I was able to do, because that means they have developed self-confidence and were able to expand. So if they do something more achievable than I, and I was able to help them through my racing or through other things, that’s great because I want to see the whole world with people with disabilities succeed in a way that they want to and to realize that no dream is impossible.”
Another fun part of their friendship comes from a huge Texas rivalry. McAllister is a University of Texas at Austin alum and Ormond attended Texas A&M. Therefore, if a Longhorn and Aggie can come together to complete the largest marathons around the world, then truly anything is possible.
McAllister and Ormond plan to train the rest of the year before starting a new run of the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2026.
