DUBAI For Rio, a 12-year-old child with special needs, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on January 22 will be a mammoth event. He will ‘run’ his first full marathon with the help of his father Nick Watson, a professional athlete. Rio’s mother Delphine and sister Tia complete the team which they call Team AngelWolf.
The family aims to raise awareness about the importance of inclusion of special needs children in sports and other lifestyle activities without restrictions.
“This is the first 42km marathon together for Rio and for Team AngelWolf. We are excited about it. Rio and I have participated in races including triathlons, running, cycling, tower-building stair climbs and swimming. Since the start of the racing season in September 2015, we have completed 19 races so far together and Dubai Marathon will be our 20th race,” said Watson.
Rio Watson has severe physical disabilities and was diagnosed with a rare chromosome disorder called ‘1q44 deletion denovo syndrome’. “Doing the marathon together is an ultimate dream. When we race together, it is very special. When it gets tough, even though Rio is non-verbal, he knows I need his magical motivation and he just gives me one of his angelic smiles. Once he even hand-signed, ‘I love you daddy’ when I was struggling ... that is what keeps me going. It is all about him at that moment and he loves the races,” said Watson.
“We feel very privileged and honoured to be given the invitation from Dubai Marathon team and for all the support we have been given by them.”
