Teamwork makes the dream work. Or at least according to a report on Good Morning America in late November, highlighting two Chippewa Falls Senior High School students, Susan and Jeffrey Bergeman, who are racing through barriers in cross country. 

Jeffrey, age 15, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in 2008 after he went into cardiac arrest at 22 months old. He found a love for racing after his mom, Jess, picked up the sport of running as a way to prioritize health in parenthood. And it wasn’t long before Jess picked up on Jeffrey’s love for running. “He lights right up, huge smiles, laughing the whole time,” she said. 

When Jeffrey and Susan, age 14, entered middle school, Susan knew she wanted to participate in cross country. But she didn’t want to do it alone; she wanted to race with her brother. Jess was the first kiddo in Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District history to race on a dual team with her brother. But, unfortunately, this posed a problem. According to rules set by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, the dynamic duo are only allowed to compete as exhibition runners, and their results do not count. 

But that doesn’t stop Susan or Jeffrey. In fact, it pushes them to run faster and race harder. Though Susan pushes Jeffrey’s over 100-pound racing chair with her brother in it, she still manages to beat teammates and competitors in races, she said. 

“If I see something that looks challenging but fun, I want to do it,” she said. “My main goal at every meet is to finish safely and have fun, but ... I don’t want to finish last.”

Susan’s goal is to eventually have a competitive duo division in cross country and other running competitions so she and her brother – along with other teams like theirs – can compete just like everyone else.

Their story has already been told by local, regional, and national news outlets, including Runner’s World and now Good Morning America. And we can only hope it continues to spread. You go, kiddos!