When Sabik Cohran crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon, the emotion him all at once.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t because he had finished one of the world\u2019s most iconic races. It wasn\u2019t just because he had survived 26.2 miles. It was because somewhere during that run, the timeline he had imagines for himself completely changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was crazy because I was like, \u2018We did it,\u2019\u201d Cohran says. \u201cI didn\u2019t really know how good I was doing until like the last two to three miles. Then I was like, \u2018Wait, we\u2019re about to PR by 12 minutes. So at the end I gunned it, and when I crossed that finish line\u2026 I was like, \u2018Oh my God, ain\u2019t no way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
There were several emotions during the race. As mile markers passed, so did personal records. Cohran watched as his 10-mile and half marathon PR were set. Much as has been life for him, he kept his head up and kept pushing through.<\/p>\n
For Cohran, a double amputee from the Chicago area who was born without shin and ankle bones, the Boston Marathon wasn\u2019t just another race. It was proof that even the ceiling he once imagined for himself might not exist at all.<\/p>\n Cohran had both legs amputated at two years old and received prosthetics at four. Sympathy wasn\u2019t the tone inside his household. Perspective was.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mom and grandmother would always reiterate you can\u2019t change this. This is you,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I always had that mentality of like, \u2018Nobody\u2019s going to come save you. You got to do this yourself.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n That mindset shaped the way he approached sports growing up. He wasn\u2019t interested in sitting on the sidelines or being treated differently. At Schaumburg High School, he played football, wrestled, played lacrosse, basketball, stayed active however he could. There were no limits.<\/p>\n Ironically, though, running wasn\u2019t initially part of that identity. In fact, he spent most of his younger years avoiding it whenever he could.<\/p>\n \u201cI never ran besides lacrosse,\u201d Cohran says, laughing. \u201cI\u2019d be like, \u2018Yeah, well I have no legs, so I can\u2019t be doing these laps.\u2019 I\u2019d always kind of bail myself out.\u201d<\/p>\n That changed when he finally received running prosthetics in October of 2024 after years of wanting them. And this changed everything.<\/p>\n Like those who fall into endurance sports later in life, Cohran says the miles eventually became about much more than exercise.<\/p>\n \u201cRunning healed my younger self,\u201d he says. \u201cNot that I felt like I was missing something, but I always felt like I know I can be fast. You see people with these prosthetics and I knew I could be fast too.\u201d<\/p>\n Once he got access to running blades, there was no turning back. The running community embraced him immediately, especially after he completed the Chicago Marathon in under four hours during his first attempt.<\/p>\n Cohran didn\u2019t know how well he was doing and had done until the surprise of others that it was his first marathon. What surprised him most, though, wasn\u2019t the attention. It was the impact.<\/p>\n He recalled receiving a message from a physical therapist who brought a patient that had recently lost his legs to one of his races. The person\u2019s spirts were down, but he lit up upon seeing and hearing about Cohran\u2019s achievements.<\/p>\n Moments like that changed the way he carries himself.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to keep every moment in public with some poise,\u201d he says. \u201cYou never know who\u2019s watching and could be inspired by what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n While Cohran\u2019s story looks inspirational from the outside, the physical side of marathon training can be brutal at times.<\/p>\n Before the Chicago Marathon, he was training in prosthetics that weren\u2019t designed for distance running. Sweat buildup inside the binders caused constant pain and instability.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to clean my leg out every two to three miles,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m talking my legs bleeding. I\u2019d have to scoot around the house.\u201d<\/p>\n There were moments where frustration overwhelmed him because there just had to be a different way. Eventually, doctors adjusted the fit, added padding, and introduced anti-sweat spray that changed everything.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Chicago Marathon was my first race I didn\u2019t have to stop at all,\u201d he says. \u201cFirst official run, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n Getting accustomed to the running blades did come with a learning curve. The first time he ran on them, he realized something something almost immediately: he didn\u2019t know how to stop.<\/p>\n \u201cI started screaming when I ran the first time,\u201d he says. \u201cI was like, \u2018I might just die on this pavement.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Conditioning became another major adjustment. Unlike the sports he participated in throughout high school, distance running demanded sustained output without breaks, which forced him to learn pacing almost entirely through trial and error. His longest run before the Chicago marathon was about four miles.<\/p>\n Now, with mileage increasing and marathon times dropping rapidly, Cohran\u2019s goals have evolved just as quickly.<\/p>\n At 27 years old, Cohran already has his sights on bigger stages and bigger achievements. One of them is to race in all the world\u2019s major marathons by the time he reaches his mid-30s.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s another goal driving him even harder.<\/p>\n \u201cThe double amputee world record,\u201d he says. \u201cI want that record. I\u2019m coming for that record, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n The current world record sits at 2:40:25<\/a>, and while Cohran knows how ambitious that sounds, he\u2019s never shrunk his expectations.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people want to call 27 old,\u201d he says. \u201cBut LeBron was getting his first ring at 27.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond racing, he hopes running and content creation eventually become his full-time focus. Right now, he balances training, social media, and his day job at Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods, often stretching his weeks to nearly 70 hours.<\/p>\n The thought of putting more effort into his running and content creation to continue to inspire others circles through his mind a lot. He would also love to start a run club, do some public speaking. More than anything, he wants people to see possibility when they see him.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they could look at me and be like, \u2018Well, he\u2019s doing this. I can do that, too,\u2019 that\u2019s what I want,\u201d Cohran says. \u201cRunning teaches you confidence in yourself and believing in yourself. I have 100 percent belief and confidence in anything I do now at this point. And running helped me get that.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Sabik on Instagram ClickHere!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nGrowing Up Without Limits<\/h2>\n
Running Became More Than Fitness<\/h2>\n
![\"Double](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Double-amputee-Sabik-Cohran-smiling-and-running-in-the-Boston-Marathon.jpg?quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Pain<\/h2>\n
![\"Double](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Double-amputee-Sabik-Cohran-celebrating-during-hte-Boston-Marathon.jpg?quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>He\u2019s Not Finished Dreaming Yet<\/h2>\n