Wake County athlete wins four golds as charity ride raises funds
A Saturday ride across central North Carolina funded athletes who compete free, as Raleigh powerlifter Rio Byrd brought home four golds on the national stage.
A motorcycle ride sent riders across central North Carolina on Saturday, July 11, to raise money for Special Olympics North Carolina athletes who train, travel and compete without paying fees. The fundraiser centered on Wake County athlete 22-year-old Rio Byrd of Raleigh, who won four gold medals in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis.
Byrd won four gold medals in the F-03 powerlifting division at the USA Games, taking top honors in the squat, bench press, deadlift and combined events. Official results list her marks at 62.5 in the squat, 42.5 in the bench press, 92.5 in the deadlift and 197.5 in the combined lift. The games ran June 20-26 and brought together 3,000 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and 75,000 fans from all 50 states.
Special Olympics Wake County has nearly 2,500 athletes training and competing year-round and offers training in 18 seasonal sports. Athletes never pay a fee to participate, and donations help cover equipment, facility rentals, uniforms, hotels and competition registration fees.
Clarence Godley, a co-captain on the committee that organizes the event at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, has spent 10 years helping with the fundraising effort. Volunteers work all year on ways to bring in money for the program. Rajia Elliss, the event’s co-coordinator, has family members with disabilities and wanted athletes to know they have a community behind them. Bradford Bannerman has worked with autistic clients for 16 years and sees the motorcycle ride as a personal outlet and a chance to support others.
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