A Navy Veteran Ran USATF Championship 8K in a NorthShore Adult Diaper - and Set a Personal Record

NorthShore Adult Diapers sponsored the 2026 North Shore RunFest in Salem, Massachusetts, and sent brand ambassador Steve Parker to the start line to challenge the assumption that adult diapers belong to the old and inactive.

GREEN OAKS, Ill., Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Steve Parker is a Navy veteran, a father, and a seven-time marathoner from Nebraska. He finished the North Shore RunFest 8K in 35 minutes and 53 seconds, averaging a 7:13 mile on a course carrying Championship status in the USATF New England Grand Prix, while also setting a personal record at the 5K point.

He did all of it while wearing a NorthShore adult diaper, which he uses to manage urge incontinence, a common form of incontinence marked by an intense, sudden need to urinate with little to no warning.

"Confidence won today, not incontinence," Parker said at the finish line.

Ask most people to picture someone who wears diapers, and they'll describe babies or people in nursing homes. The reality is that people living with incontinence span a wide range of ages and backgrounds: new mothers, college students, people taking diuretics, people recovering from surgery, people with neurogenic bladder, and people managing illnesses such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's.

In a Veterans Affairs primary care study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, incontinence appeared across every age group in a sample spanning ages 25 to 93. Parker was in his late 20s and on active duty in the United States Navy when his first symptom appeared. At the time, he was part of a population screened for physical fitness twice a year.

Parker's story is exactly why NorthShore chose to support the North Shore RunFest: to show that incontinence and an active life are not mutually exclusive. NorthShore served as presenting sponsor of the 2026 event, the brand's first year in that role.

"We are delighted to support a race like this," said Adam J. Greenberg, Founder and CEO of NorthShore. "And we're so proud to have a brand ambassador like Steve out there representing every runner managing incontinence who's ever laced up wondering if anyone else understood. Nobody should have to choose between managing incontinence and doing what they love."

Parker's own path to that start line took more than a decade. His first symptom was bedwetting while he was still serving. It wasn't until his mid-30s that he saw a urologist and learned he had urge incontinence, the most common form of urinary incontinence in men.

"Looking back, I wish I had brought it up while I was still serving," Parker said. "I felt ashamed and kept it to myself for years."

Adult Diapers as Part of an Active Lifestyle

A turning point for Parker was discovering high-performance protection built for heavy leaks. Many retail incontinence products are designed primarily for light bladder leakage (LBL), such as the smaller leaks often caused by a sneeze or laugh. Heavy bladder leaks (HBL) involve larger volumes, including full bladder releases, often with little to no warning.

Parker ran the 8K in NorthShore's MegaMax® AirLock™, designed for HBL to keep users dry for up to nine hours.* The adult diaper wasn't a limitation. It was part of his race-day gear — protection that allowed him to focus on running, not incontinence.

"Diapers aren't just for little kids. I train for marathons in them," he said. "There's no shame in protection. It's just gear, the same as good shoes or a GPS watch."

Parker is just one of many NorthShore customers and brand advocates challenging stereotypes about who wears an adult diaper. Bryan H., a 44-year-old singer and father, was left managing bladder and bowel incontinence after heart failure put him in the ICU. With protection from NorthShore, he had the confidence to sing the national anthem in front of his town.

"I am now able to 'not shrink' because of the freedom that NorthShore products have provided me," Bryan said.

He has since performed at more than a dozen events and, like Parker, started running again. Before wearing adult diapers, he couldn't break an 11-minute mile. He can now run four consecutive miles at an 8:30 pace.

That is the pattern across these stories: not people who beat incontinence, but people who stopped letting it decide how much of their lives they got to keep.

Parker's and Bryan's full stories are available at northshore.com/blog. People managing heavy leaks for themselves or a loved one can find adult diapers, incontinence supplies, sizing guidance and seven-day support from NorthShore Care Experts at northshore.com.

*An immediate change is required after a bowel movement.

About NorthShore Adult Diapers

NorthShore® is the only brand of adult diapers and incontinence supplies designed specifically for heavy bladder leaks (HBL) — reducing nighttime changes and worry about leaks.

NorthShore is a mission-driven consumer healthcare company dedicated to empowering people to live with the freedom and dignity they deserve. The company serves individuals who have been overlooked by mainstream brands and underserved by a culture that treats incontinence as something to hide.

Founded in 2002 by Adam J. Greenberg, NorthShore has grown to become one of the most trusted brands in premium incontinence products, helping over 3 million individuals, their loved ones, and caregivers. Customers regularly share stories of how NorthShore helped them return to work, sleep through the night, travel confidently, or fully re-engage with family and community life.

Through innovative absorbent products, transparent language, empathetic customer service, and an inclusive community, NorthShore is redefining what it means to live confidently with incontinence.

Learn more at northshore.com.

North Shore RunFest Media: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/x707k6fl4vnifde5cccyo/AFvrSoFLO1dlpTIubNgyEI0?rlkey=1p7urlt6tkbyf59udwcbacdfz&st=5ix4m12g&dl=0

SOURCE NorthShore Adult Diapers