A Record-Breaking Partnership between Össur and Nissan

Team Össur member and Nissan Ambassador – Paralympic god medalist Richard Whitehead – set a new World Record at yesterday‘s 2024 Chicago Marathon.

This was Richard‘s 80th marathon, and he prepared for the race using his Össur running prosthetics and a specially adapted Nissan ARIYA.

Richard finished the famous 26.2-mile course in an incredible 2:41.36, narrowly breaking his own record of 2:42:01, which he set just six months ago at the London Marathon.

Earlier this year, engineers from the Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE) and Össur, collaborated to customize Richard’s Nissan ARIYA, creating a solution that allowed him to use the car for both training and everyday transport. Key modifications included quick-release magnetic chargers in the drivers’ seat for his Rheo Knee XC’s, storage for his Össur running prosthetics, and a hidden swing-out seat to help him transition between his daily and running prosthetics before each training session.

Hildur Einarsdottir, Executive Vice President of R&D at Össur said: “Huge congratulations to Richard on this incredible achievement. Össur has supported Richard with running prosthetics since 2004, and we are thrilled they’ve helped him set another new Guinness World Record. We’re also very proud to have worked with Nissan since 2021, providing sports prosthetics to amputees through the Richard Whitehead Foundation as part of the Nissan Possibilities Project. Collaborating on this new project on Richard’s Nissan ARIYA has been fantastic, with our two engineering teams working together to explore how Össur’s technology can be seamlessly integrated into a vehicle. Although this is a one-of-a-kind concept, it shows what might be possible for the future of mobility.”

Richard Whitehead said: “It’s an amazing feeling to have set a new Guinness World Record in Chicago, and I’m very thankful to my family and sponsors for their support. My mantra is ‘believe achieve’ and I wanted to show people that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Congratulations to Richard on this incredible accomplishment!