The
Empowered
Games
"The Fastest Marathon Ever Run"
A groundbreaking adaptive endurance event featuring elite amputee athletes, handcyclists, racing wheelchair competitors, and advanced mobility technology.
A first-of-its-kind
international sporting event.
The Empowered Games showcases the world's fastest adaptive athletes and the latest advancements in mobility technology. Unlike a traditional marathon, competitors race in relay teams across four adaptive disciplines.
Establish St. Petersburg as
the Adaptive Sports Capital of America.
Elite Showcase
Premier stage for the world's fastest adaptive athletes.
Mobility Innovation
Live demonstrations of next-generation prosthetics and racing tech.
Veterans & Inclusion
Inspire those living with disabilities and honor service.
Tourism Engine
7,500–20,000 hotel room nights; $2M–$8M in direct visitor spend.
Global Media
A new world-record narrative built for broadcast.
Annual Destination
Recurring January centerpiece for the city's event calendar.
Cinematic.
A proven
event destination.
St. Petersburg already possesses the infrastructure to host a major endurance event — from waterfront race routes to international tourism appeal.
- →Waterfront race routes
- →Downtown hospitality district
- →January weather conditions
- →Existing road closure experience
- →Walkable downtown venue
- →Strong civic support for sport
Team Relay
Marathon.
Each team completes the marathon distance across four adaptive disciplines. Combined team time determines the winner — and continuous transitions keep spectators locked in.
The fastest marathon
ever recorded.
Traditional marathons rely on a single athlete. By combining the speed of racing wheelchairs, handcycles, and running blades, winning teams may achieve marathon times significantly faster than conventional world records — creating a powerful global media narrative.
Downtown
Waterfront Loop.
A loop-based format that concentrates spectator access, broadcast coverage, and sponsor visibility — while minimizing impact on city operations.
- · Minimal disruption to city operations
- · Concentrated police deployment
- · Enhanced public safety
- · Simplified traffic management
The numbers
move markets.
Hospitality, restaurants, retail, transportation — plus business development across medical technology, adaptive equipment, and research.
Regional launch to World Championship Event. Annual recurring destination revenue.
National
Media Story.
Innovation. Human performance. Veteran stories. Inclusion. Technology. A narrative engineered for broadcast television, sports networks, digital streaming, and international media.
The Future
of Mobility.
The Empowered Games Expo convenes the people building the next generation of human movement — alongside the institutions that train, fund, and heal.
Four days.
One story.
- · Athlete arrival
- · Registration
- · Expo setup
- · Press conference
- · Expo opening
- · Community events
- · Empowered Expo
- · Sponsor activations
- · Athlete meet & greet
- · Marathon broadcast
- · Awards ceremony
- · Closing celebration
From regional launch
to world championship.
26.2 miles
along the bay.
A spectator-first loop engineered for broadcast camera angles, four discipline transition zones, and a finish festival on the downtown waterfront.
Honoring service.
Restoring motion.
In partnership with VA Medical Centers, Bay Pines, and adaptive military sports organizations, the Empowered Games dedicates a full competition tier and year-round programming to wounded, ill, and injured service members.
Built by athletes.
Governed by champions.
Every competitive rule, classification standard, and safety protocol is reviewed by an independent advisory board of Paralympians and elite adaptive athletes — ensuring legitimacy with World Para Athletics, the USOPC, and the international adaptive sport community.
A tiered
partnership stack.
Year-one targets a fully-funded event through a four-tier sponsorship architecture, with category exclusivity in mobility tech, healthcare, automotive, and financial services.
- · Title naming rights
- · Broadcast lower-third
- · Course start/finish branding
- · Naming on one relay leg
- · Athlete jersey placement
- · Expo headline booth
- · Category exclusivity
- · Expo premium footprint
- · Hospitality suite
- · Local business activation
- · Course-side signage
- · Community ticket allocation
Across sponsorship, broadcast rights, expo exhibitor fees, registration, and hospitality.
Of total Year-One revenue committed via tiered partner stack.
A network-grade
production.
Engineered for live broadcast distribution from day one — drone capture, on-course follow vehicles, multi-camera transition zones, and a fully staffed control room.
Safety
first principle.
Developed in coordination with St. Petersburg Police, St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue, Pinellas County EMS, and Bayfront Health — modeled on NIMS/ICS standards and reviewed by adaptive sport medical specialists.
- · Joint EOC at City Hall
- · ICS Type II structure
- · 24/7 event-week operations
- · 3 on-course medical tents
- · 8 ALS units + 2 rapid-response bikes
- · Direct line to Bayfront ED
- · Hard barricades at all crossings
- · Static SPPD posts every 0.5 mi
- · K-9 and bomb sweep pre-event
- · Lightning detection (8 mi)
- · Heat-index pause thresholds
- · NWS Tampa Bay direct feed
- · Spectator capacity modeling
- · Designated viewing zones
- · Bag-check at festival gates
- · Equipment inspection station
- · Classification & medical review
- · Wheelchair & prosthetic repair pit
Defensible
numbers.
Economic impact projections follow the Destinations International Event Impact Calculator (EIC) framework — the standard adopted by Visit St. Pete/Clearwater and Sports ETA — with primary data collection from athletes, support teams, and spectators.
2,000 neighbors.
One weekend.
A city-wide volunteer corps recruited through USF St. Petersburg, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg College, local Rotary and Kiwanis chapters, and Pinellas County Schools.
Crossings, turn cues, athlete cheer zones.
Relay handoff zones, equipment staging.
Check-in, wayfinding, athlete services.
Aid station runners under licensed staff.
Mobility assistance and accessibility hosts.
Cable, talent escort, on-course logistics.
A permanent home for
adaptive sport.
5% of every year's net revenue is endowed into the St. Petersburg Adaptive Sports Legacy Fund — a city-anchored program that outlasts the race and reshapes daily life for residents with disabilities.
Reserved for the
leaders of St. Pete.
This page is held open for endorsements from the Office of the Mayor, members of City Council, the Pinellas County Commission, and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater leadership as the partnership is formalized.
An opportunity to
make history.
Establish St. Petersburg as the permanent home of The Empowered Games — the premier adaptive endurance event in the world.
Begin Partnership Discussion- Road closure coordination
- Police & emergency services support
- Venue access
- Tourism collaboration
- Marketing partnership