'Wheelchair Dad' completes SLC Marathon despite ongoing health challenges

WEST HAVEN, Weber County — Dan Kotter found himself in the hospital with an infection that threatened to take his leg in January, but on April 26, he completed the Salt Lake City Marathon.

Kotter is a father of six who became paralyzed in 2013 after a fall while working construction. KSL.com first wrote about Kotter in December 2023, when a video of him remodeling a bedroom for his youngest daughters went viral. Since then, the social media-proclaimed "Wheelchair Dad" has had many triumphs and setbacks that he and his wife document on their social media channels.

According to Kotter, however, this year has been particularly challenging.

"At the end of January, doctors found an infection in my left leg that had really taken off," Kotter explained. "I'd also been having these issues with my leg being really swollen and the nerve pain was more active and frustrating."

The infection ended up being septic cellulitis, which is a bacterial skin infection that has moved into the bloodstream, poisoning the blood (sepsis). This can be a life-threatening condition, and in Kotter's case, doctors were considering amputating his leg.

"I keep a pretty positive attitude and just keep going, but don't know what it was about this," he said. "I felt so out of control and honestly, really, really scared and down. … We still have six kids who have soccer, orchestra, choir and band. I was in the hospital trying to digest all that was happening. … We had a lot of hopes and really big things planned and it was just cutting into everything and it was overwhelming."

With some changes in antibiotics, Kotter was able to weather the storm. With little time to regain strength and completely heal, however, his wife, Andrea Kotter, wasn't too excited about adding a marathon to the mix.

"I hate to say it, but I kind of discouraged Dan from doing this marathon," Andrea Kotter wrote in a social media post. "It's been over eight years since his last marathon with a hand-cycle — and since he's even ridden one. He was extremely sick last month and in the hospital for days on end. There were so many reasons that I told him I thought it was a bad idea."

Dan Kotter confirmed what his wife posted, adding that he also had many reasons not to enter the marathon, including a shoulder that needed surgery and a bike that didn't work.

A couple of years after his accident, with the help of the University of Utah's TRAILS Adaptive program, he was able to use a hand cycle to complete the marathon. Not long after, he acquired his own hand cycle, which he trained with, but due to some manufacturing issues, it has been in disrepair for many years.

"The TRAILS program reached out to me a couple of weeks ago to see if I would ride with them at the Salt Lake City Marathon, and I told them that I would if they would help put my bike back together," Dan Kotter said. "So, I took all the pieces of my bike to one of the practice rides a couple of weeks ago, and they set me up."

Having a bike to ride is one thing, but being in shape is another, and Kotter said the marathon was equal parts "perfect" and "grueling."

"It was the most perfect weather to have been riding in, honestly," he said. "It was nice and cool in the morning, but not cold enough where my fingers froze. But the race was pretty grueling. Going up those hills, I was in the easiest gear and it was still really hard working through that. My shoulder isn't in the greatest shape, and about halfway through the marathon, I was starting to question if this was the greatest idea, but It ended up being really good in the end.

"My shoulder actually feels better than it has in a while, so exercising it really seems to have done something to help it. I was just happy to be able to get it done and I was so grateful when I came up on that finish line and saw my family."

Although Andrea Kotter worried for her husband's well-being, she said seeing him complete the marathon has made her not doubt his abilities again.

"Ironically, the race began within feet of the hospital he was in last month," Andrea Kotter wrote in a social media post. "As the kids and I drove down the hill to get to the finish line to wait for him, I thanked God for Dan's life, health and tenacity. He teaches me so much and is such a freaking STUD. … I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER."

As for what's next, Dan Kotter said that completing the marathon has inspired him to do more.

"Honestly, when I was asked to do the marathon, I said yes because I knew I needed to get my blood pumping," Dan Kotter said. "I have my bike put back together and I've now got that bug to stay physically fit. I think I'm gonna ride like heck and try to plan on the St George Marathon to see if I can be ready this time and get my time down."

Dan Kotter's journey can be found on Instagram and YouTube @thewheelchairdad.

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