Last weekend, Amy Palmiero-Winters became the first athlete with a prosthesis to complete the Ultraman triathlon.
Plamiero-Winters, 41, a below-the-knee amputee endurance athlete who holds 11 world records, completed the three-day, 320-mile race in Florida in 33:44:09. Ultraman athletes do a 6.2-mile swim and 90-mile bike ride on the first day, a 170-mile bike ride on the second day, and a 52.4-mile run on the third day. Only 29 athletes finished the race.
“It was life changing in the fact that we all set out to accomplish our dreams and sometimes we fail but we need to remember if it truly is a life dream we must never give up until we accomplish it, because, sooner or later if we want it bad enough we will reach it,” Palmiero-Winters told Runner’s World Newswire. “I was overwhelmed with pride and honor to accomplish this feat and I was so proud to have the team of everyone involved who helped me get across that finish line.”
In 1994 Palmiero-Winters was involved in a motorcycle accident and after several surgeries to repair her mangled foot were unsuccessful, Palmiero-Winters opted to have her leg amputated below the knee.
Palmiero-Winters, a mother of two and director at A Step Ahead Prosthetics, said training for the Ultraman forced her to plan her free time wisely.
“I CrossFit five times per week before I start my day at work, my daughter Madilynn would go to the gym and swim laps with me and add extra resistance by holding onto my feet because we were always maximizing out time,” she said. “As for riding, we would train some indoors because New York has finally received a winter.”
Palmiero-Winters is no stranger to the ultra distance having completed ultras such as the Badwater Ultramarathon and Western States Endurance Run, as well as several Ironmans. She also holds the world record for fastest marathon time for a below-the-knee amputee, male or female, of 3:04 which she set at the 2006 Chicago Marathon. She said she decided to run the Ultraman after hearing about it from her friend and fellow ultrarunner, Gary Wang.
“He spoke of the meaning of the Ultraman, that it was made for those who thrive on personal challenge and enjoy the thrill of victory, but also for those who come to understand the importance of aloha (love), ohana (family), and kokua (help),” she said. “He also emphasized that everyone who completes the course is a winner, and the pursuit of human excellence is the fundamental rule of the road.”
Palmiero-Winters said in finishing the race, she feels hopeful that other amputee athletes will be inspired to run as well and do even better.
“This was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done,” Palmiero-Winters said following the race, according to a press release. “But, as always, I wanted to show others that no matter what, it’s always possible to live a life without limitations”
Palmiero-Winters was featured as a Runner’s World Hero of Running in 2007.
