Patrick Henry Rolls Along Inspired By Cormac Evans

Triathlete Sean McQuaid pushes Patrick Henry High student Cormac Evans during an Eastern League cross country meet at Morley Field. (Photo by Jeffrey Parenti)

- - -

"With Cormac there, we feel a greater sense of purpose. He just wants to be treated like everyone else. He's one of us."

- Teammate Charlie Dunnigan 

SAN DIEGO -- In a few days, Patrick Henry's Cormac Evans will be awarded his green and gold varsity "PH" letter for being a member of the Eastern League cross country champion Patriots.

Evans competed in every meet for the standout Patriots team, yet never ran a step.

Instead, Evans was pushed in a special wheelchair around the 3.11-mile course by distance runner/triathlete Sean McQuaid who clearly was having as much fun as the high school kids.

Evans was born with a condition called Hemimegalencephaly, where basically the left half of his brain was extremely enlarged, causing numerous problems, not the least of which was serious seizures. After surgery was performed removing half his brain, his mother, Cindy Spiva, never thought her son would participate in sports.

After all, Evans' entire left side was paralyzed and actions associated with that half of the brain like talking ceased to exist.

"Half of his body didn't work," said Spiva of Evans who will participate in today's Eastern League championships at Morley Field. "Five years ago, some friends asked us to walk in the Carlsbad 5K and Cormac loved it. He was with friends and it was something to do.

"After that, he was invited by the Competitor Group to do the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon (not the full marathon). It wasn't too scary. Afterward, a couple approached us and asked if we knew about Team Hoyt or Ainsley's Angels, (two groups that work with individuals like Evans).

"People in wheelchairs are usually pretty invisible but in a race, we were given high fives and encouragement the whole way. Cormac was having so much fun I said to myself, 'I guess I've got to start running.' "

Spiva approached Patrick Henry coach Andrew Myette asking if Cormac could join the cross country team when he entered high school.

"I told him, 'this is who we are, this is what we do, what do you think?' " said Spiva. "I told him I thought it would be good for the school, San Diego, and the whole region."

Myette said absolutely and after clearing a few hurdles, she was pushing Evans in high school meets where he said he was having the time of his life.

There were initial concerns that maybe Evans' wheelchair would get in the way of the top runners, perhaps causing one to miss out on qualifying for a post-season race. 

"I didn't hear a single complaint," she said.  "I'm 50 years old, we're not going to get in the way of anyone."

A friend pushed him as a sophomore but both Spiva and Evans were having medical problems his junior year, so when the 2020 season was resurrected, Spiva asked her friends at Team Hoyt if they knew anyone who might be able to push Evans and they pointed her toward McQuaid.

He jumped at the opportunity.

"I immediately thought this was a way to show people that if he can do it, anyone can," said McQuaid, 31, in his rich Irish brogue. "The smile on his face is all the reward I get. I enjoy this a thousand percent and I think I'm actually doing better in my races with him.

"We're doing a half-triathlon Saturday."

Gulp. That's a 1.2-mile swim (with Evans on a raft with lifeguards on either side), a 56-mile bike ride (with Evans on a sidecar), and a 13-mile run (with the familiar wheelchair).

McQuaid said Evans, who gives hand gestures to tell him what he wants, has never come close to tipping over because he's securely fastened down in the wheelchair which has brakes that he can use.

What about the iconic Upas Street hill made famous as part of the Morley Field layout for the Foot Locker National Championships?

"That's not on this course, thank goodness," said McQuaid with a laugh. "Doing this you realize it's not all about you. There is such a sense of fulfillment and it's now a big part of my life."

Myette said you can tell Evans is thoroughly involved in the races.

"He recognizes everything and communicates with his hands nonverbally," said Myette, whose team is one of the best in the section. "He smiles, he moves his head back and forth, he listens to music during the race -- he's aware.

"We really missed him last year, he brings such an energy. You see his face light up and you say, 'like wow!' Sean gets pretty emotional, too. At the finish line, Cormac will put his arms up like the other runners and he gets as many cheers -- from both teams -- as the winner."

Teammate Charlie Dunnigan, among the top runners for the Henry squad favored to win the league title, said Evans is a huge part of the team.

"He brings a sense of team spirit we were missing before," said the senior. "You can see running makes him happy. He's a key part of this team in meets and practice.

"With Cormac there, we feel a greater sense of purpose. He just wants to be treated like everyone else. He's one of us."

WATCH CORMAC AND SEAN COMPETE FOR PATRICK HENRY HS