The Olympics may be happening across the ocean right now, but a Lakewood teacher and student duo are breaking barriers in sports right here in Northeast Ohio.
Etienne Massicotte and 12-year-old Aiden Ardelean will be running together in the Guardian Mile this weekend in Cleveland.
Massicotte works at the Lakewood Recreation Center but is also a trumpet teacher, and Aiden is one of his students. Massicotte has albinism and is visually impaired, but he can still see well enough to run on his own. Aiden isn't blind, but he is more visually impaired than his teacher.
While giving Aiden trumpet lessons, Massicotte noticed that the 12-year-old was full of energy but had no way to spend it or really exercise it off. That's when the teacher-student duo started training together, running on the Lakewood High School track.
Their hard work has paid off, and the two of them are set to compete on Saturday night when things kick off at 7 p.m.
And after this weekend's race, the Massicotte has another goal in mind already: The Chicago Marathon. Right now, he's raising money to compete in that race. If you'd like to donate, CLICK HERE.
