A celebration kicked off at the University at Albany Thursday to welcome back a father and son who made history competing in the Tokyo Marathon last weekend.

Freshman Shamus Evans rode in a custom racing chair pushed by his father. He and his dad were one of the first rider-and-runner duos to ever compete in the marathon.

Evans has cerebral palsy and has been racing with his father since he was young. His father, Shaun Evans, is an ultramarathon runner from Galway.

Shamus Evans has joined his father on several long training runs and races. When he was 9, he joined his father on a 3,200-mile run across America. Then, when he was 18, he joined him on a 1,700-mile run down the Mississippi River, and then the Boston Marathon.

The Tokyo Marathon allowed for open entry for the first time this year to four select duo teams, including the Evans. Shamus Evans said this marathon took them three hours and 15 minutes to do 26.2 miles.

"It was fantastic to be able to compete in a new setting out of the country and just experience Japan," he said. "I think that duo athletes are just as capable of competing as any other group of athletes."

The Tokyo Marathon attracts 30,000 participants every year. Shamus Evans majors in electrical computer engineering and hopes to one day work for NASA.