When Sabik Cohran crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon, he shattered his personal record by 12 minutes. The double amputee from Chicago, born without shin and ankle bones, had both legs amputated at age two. Running on prosthetics, he not only completed the iconic 26.2-mile race but also set new personal bests at the 10-mile and half-marathon distances.
“It was crazy because I was like, ‘We did it,’” Cohran says. “I didn’t really know how good I was doing until the last two to three miles. Then I was like, ‘Wait, we’re about to PR by 12 minutes.’”
Cohran’s journey into running began later in life after he received running prosthetics in October 2024. Before that, he avoided running, relying on his high school sports-football, wrestling, lacrosse, and basketball-to stay active. Now, at 27, running has become a transformative force.
“Running healed my younger self,” he says. “I always felt like I know I can be fast. You see people with these prosthetics and I knew I could be fast too.”
His training has been grueling. Before the Chicago Marathon, his prosthetics caused bleeding and sweat buildup, forcing him to stop frequently. After adjustments from doctors, he completed Chicago without stopping, a first for him.
Now, with his Boston PR, Cohran has set his sights on the double amputee world record of 2:40:25. “I want that record. I’m coming for that record, for sure,” he declares.
Beyond racing, he dreams of running full-time as a content creator and starting a run club. His message is simple: “If they could look at me and be like, ‘Well, he’s doing this. I can do that, too,’ that’s what I want.”