It’s been cold.

It’s been hot. It’s been long. It’s been hard. But the smile on Hunter Wittrock’s face tells a different story.

“To me it feels like pure joy!” he said.

It’s been a journey of love, determination and inspiration which began about a year and a half ago when Hunter and his dad, Jeff, began racing in 5Ks and half-marathons.

Not your typical father/ son team, Hunter has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair.

But his limitations haven’t defined him, rather they’ve become a stepping stone to accomplish greater things.

Since receiving an adaptive jogger, father and son, along with Hunter’s good friend Bethany Piotrowski, have been burning up the pavement and logging the miles.

They completed 50 races in 2024 alone.

Most of those races were in Oklahoma, going almost every weekend and sometimes two races in one day, Jeff said.

Of course, they’re not alone on their journey.

His fan base includes his mother, Heather, who’s almost always there assisting, encouraging and celebrating the victories with her son and husband.

Other family members, including Hunter’s triplet siblings, Hayden and Hannah, are also often on-hand to support him as well as other friends and family members.

Hunter and his dad recently had the opportunity to run in the 2025 Publix Atlanta Half-Marathon on March 2, with over 60-plus challenged athletes, through the Kyle Pease Foundation.

As the first challenged athlete brother duo to complete an Ironman competition, Kyle and Brent Pease established the Kyle Pease Foundation in 2011, with the desire to share the experience of inclusion with others.

Impressed with the foundation’s mission to improve the lives of people with disabilities through sports and beyond, Jeff said he reached out to Brent via Facebook to commend them on the example they’re setting for others.

That led to an invitation to run in the Atlanta race…followed by a marathon weekend in more ways than one.

On the evening before the race, Jeff said they met with the other challenged athlete teams at a dinner and presentation for the Kyle Pease Foundation.

Race day began at 4:20 a.m. as Jeff, Hunter and Bethany made their way to the starting line by 5 a.m. in preparation for a 7:20 a.m start.

And, as always, Heather was there as their biggest fan, Jeff said, collecting memories at the starting and finish line as well as providing any other support along the way.

“Even though it was super cold Sunday morning, we took off from that start line and headed out for our journey,” Jeff commented.

Racing with the more than 60 challenged athlete teams and 11,000 runners, Jeff said he and Hunter completed the half marathon (13.1 miles) in 1:52:59.

As with the many races before, Hunter said, “I love being around other people like me and being involved in the running community.

“Crossing the finish line gives me a special feeling every time!”

Once the race was over and the team had time to relish their experience, they hit the road back home.

Twelve hours later and a total of 1,820 miles in 54 hours, they were home.

But not for long. The next weekend the team was back to racing at the Stilly Half-Marathon in Stillwater.

They also have plans to run the OKC Memorial half-marathon on April 27, with other races in between.

One of those upcoming races has special meaning to Hunter.

It’s the second annual Blazin’ Past Burns 5K and 1-mile fun run which will be held on Saturday, March 22, in Kingfisher.

Always wanting to do more to benefit others and especially bring awareness to increasing inclusivity for all people, Hunter and his parents established the race last year with proceeds benefiting Oklahoma Firefi ghters Burn Camp.

Close to his heart, Hunter has been involved with the organization from his time there as a camper and continues to do so.

OFBC is a free summer camp for children ages 6-16 who have suffered major burn or disfiguring injuries at any point in their lives requiring hospitalization.

It offers a chance for child burn survivors to make new and lifelong friends with other burn survivors in a setting of love, support and unconditional acceptance, Jeff said.

Adult burn survivors donate their time to show these children that their scars do not limit their ability to succeed in life and to help others, he added.

Last year’s race raised a total of $23,166 to benefit OFBC.

Supported by his family, Hunter has been making an impact for those with disabilities in many ways during his almost 24 years of life.

As a 2020 graduate of Kingfisher High School, Hunter spent months secretly working with physical therapists to achieve his goal of walking across the stage to receive his diploma, bringing joyful tears to many in the crowd that day.

He also has been very involved with the equine riding program, Savannah Station Therapeutic Riding, and served as a guest speaker at its gala event encouraging attendees to support its mission.

His desire is for other people to know that he and other people with disabilities are the same as everyone else, with dreams and aspirations and determination to overcome the obstacles before them, Hunter said.

“We love to run and we want to show everyone that nothing is impossible,” Jeff said.

“It is a bonding moment between father and son and we just want to show everyone that inclusion has no boundaries.”

For more information about the Blazin’ Past Burns 5K and 1-mile fun run contact Jeff at 405-368-6013.