NIBLEY – A disability doesn’t keep 11-year-old Porter Mann from proudly crossing the finish line in area races. The Heritage Elementary School student is just at the beginning of his career as a distant runner. He cut his teeth on distant running at the Wellsville Mile.
Porter Mann sits on his Frame Runner that allows him to run in distance races on Monday June 23, 2025.
Even with his disability, the son of Jamie and Brett Mann is chalking up miles. After the Wellsville race, he went on to Smithfield’s Health Days run and most recently finished the Heritage Days Mile run, winning first place in the adaptive category.
“Porter was born with Hemiplegia Cerebral Palsy, weakening one side of his body,” his mother Jamie said. “We worked with Utah State University’s Assistive Technology Program to find something that would assist him so he could run more easily. They found something called the Frame Runner that gives him a way to keep his body upright and move his feet for running.”
Porter was excited to be able to run with his peers at the Wellsville Mile.
“He is ambulatory but walks abnormally so he generally uses an ankle leg brace,” she said. “The Frame Runner provides him with the ability to run with his peers.”
He also signed up for the Youth Cross Country Running Program in Nibley City that starts in July.
“We enrolled in TOP Sports, a program for people with disabilities,” his mother said. “Erica Lundahl, the director, suggested we try the Frame Runner to help him with his running.”
TOP Sports does a bunch of activities to help children with disabilities, and they break them up into groups from 10 to 30 kids for a given activity. Porter said he has learned other sports at TOP Sports. He played basketball, indoor soccer, baseball and bowling as part of the program, but Porter said he is partial to running.
Lundahl directed the family to Utah State University’s Assistive Technology Program to inquire about a Frame Runner they could use until they find one of their own for Porter.
“The Frame Runner has really helped him, so we are in the process of getting one for him,” Mann said. “He could probably run without it, but it would take him another 30 minutes to cross the finish line.”
The bike-like design helps people with motor and coordination impairments, allowing them to jog, or run safely and comfortably. It has a lightweight frame with three wheels and offers stability and support. Runners can propel themselves by pushing against the frame with their feet while steering with the handlebar using their hands or arms.
Porter Mann running in Smithfield’s Health Days mile run.
“He does well in school; it’s just his motor skill that he needs help with,” Mann said. “I ran with my five-year-old Ellie at the Heritage Day’s Race. I’ve been running since I was fifteen and I still run. Hopefully, Porter will continue to like it.”
Mann said she has seen a couple of others in the valley using the same type of device to help them run.
Porter also has a two-wheel mountain bike that has been adapted to help him ride.