This Sunday is the Oklahoma City National Memorial Marathon weekend. I'm running the half again and the Hub is running his first full. Last night, we attended the April meeting of Landrunners, one of OKC's running club and the group we've trained with the past two years. And, now, I feel like a total slacker.
Do you know Amy Palmiero-Winters? She spoke at the meeting last night and is an ultra-runner. She's on the US National Women's Ultra Team. She runs 24 hours straight several times per year. She runs several 100-mile races every year. She is a genetic anomaly. Oh, and the lower part of her left leg was amputated. She's not a the National Paralympic Ultra Team. She's on the team with able-bodied women. Her last ultra race? She won. Flat out. Not the women's division. Beat the first man by 13 miles. AN ENTIRE HALF MARATHON! Oh, and she also won the AAU's Sullivan Award, the premiere award for amateur athletes in the U.S. Previous recipients include Michael Johnson, Peyton Manning, Michelle Kwan and more.
Some of you may remember the amazing sight I saw while waiting at the exchange for the Little Rock Marathon relay ... a woman wearing a prosthetic leg pushing a kid who appeared to have CP in a wheelchair? And, running a good pace? That was Amy. When she travels to races she finds a teammate to run with - Ben in Little Rock. Alexa this year in OKC. Kelly last year in OKC. Kelly is participating in the half marathon in OKC this year by herself. She'll push her new race wheelchair 13.1 miles. And, she'll probably beat me.
Wow. What an inspiration. I love the running royalty descent on OKC this weekend including Amy, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, Bart Yasso and more, more, more. These running stars will lead a "fun" & "easy" 3-4 mile "jog" on Saturday. At about a 9 minute pace. Well, since that's speedwork for me, I'm skipping it. But, maybe next year.
I have no excuse to slack on speed. While Amy has run her whole life, she didn't plan on losing part of her leg after a motorcycle accident. She could have sat around & felt sorry for herself, or limited her activity. Instead, she said, "No, I'm taking it to another level." Her prosthetic doesn't hamper her competitive level. And, as she inspires young people across the country by participating in races in OKC's, she is changing those young people and ALL of the runners around her. If you ever have a chance to see Amy speak, watch her run or be her teammate, GO FOR IT.
