A sold-out stadium roared as Hunter Woodhall got ready on the track for his season opener. Woodhall placed gold in the 400-meter category T62 race, an event for individuals with the absence of both legs below the knee, in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. At the Drake Relays, Woodhall ran a 48.13 second 400 m race against able-bodied athletes, including Jamaican Olympians Sean Bailey and Zandrion Barnes on April 26, 2025.
“I’m really just grateful for Drake Relays opening up the opportunity for me to go and compete,” Woodhall said. “Any chance that I get to compete in an able-bodied setting and show that even as a disabled athlete, I’m able to compete at that level, boosts the integrity of the Paralympic sport. I might not go out there and win, but I’m going to go out there and compete and have a good time and hopefully run fast, which says a lot for the Paralympic movement.”
Woodhall was joined by other Team USA athletes, such as three-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser, who hosted and participated in a shot put event on opening night and Tara Davis-Woodhall, who won gold in the women’s long jump at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Davis-Woodhall competed in the women’s long jump at Drake Relays, achieving a meet record of 6.75m. It was also her season opener.
“We’re excited to be a part of the history and everything that Drake Relays is all about,” Davis-Woodhall said.
Woodhall and Davis-Woodhall are a married couple who blew up on TikTok as they were competing at the Paralympics and Olympics in the summer of 2024, and they now have over 300,000 followers on their joint account. They use their platform to promote the sport of track and field and advocate for Paralympic athletes.
The couple met at a Track meet as kids but hadn’t competed together at a professional level before Drake Relays due to the separation of the Paralympics and the Olympics. This was also an opportunity for the couple’s family and friends to watch them compete in the United States.
“It’s a dream come true for us to be competing on the same stage at such an elite level at the same track meet,” Davis-Woodhall said. “Drake Relays is going to be one for the history books — just in our little world.”
Travis Geopfert, head coach of the Kansas State University track and field team where Davis-Woodhall is an assistant coach, is also the coach for the Woodhalls. He is the one who brought the couple to Drake Relays.
“Travis is the best coach in the world, no ifs, ands or buts,” Woodhall said. “I’ve been around the block a few times, I’ve seen them all. He’s the best and he has the results to back it up as well. Apart from being an incredible coach, he’s an even better guy.”
Woodhalls participation in the men’s 400m is not the first instance that Paralympians have competed at Drake Relays. The USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project, which was launched in 2022, worked with the Drake Relays to crown the first wheelchair track champions in 2023. In the inaugural Para-College Wheelchair 100-meter National Championship, Drake Relays crowned both a men’s and women’s champion. Evan Correll won for the men and Jenna Fesemyer for the women’s. Both champions were competing with the University of Illinois.
Additionally, the Drake Relays hosts various races that include athletes from Special Olympics Iowa. The Woodhalls hope that these acts of inclusion mark the beginning of a more inclusive future for track and field.
“It changes the aspect of what could be possible — and it’s really cool to be the first to do that,” Davis-Woodhall said. “We’ve been dreaming for this moment since we started dating and training together.”
