Amy Palmiero-Winters, a runner who uses a prosthetic leg, has become the first American amputee to make the U.S. national track team.
Amy Palmiero-Winters had loved running ever since she was 8 years old, when she came in last in a race. Her failure didn’t get her down—it set a fire in her, leading her to work harder and harder to become the best runner she could. She ran on her high school track team, and while working as a restaurant delivery person. “Every place she went, she’d run,” her father Larry told USA Today.
But in 1994, while riding a motorcycle, a car made an illegal turn in front of Palmiero-Winters, sending her flying from her bike. Her left foot and ankle were crushed, and after 30 surgeries, she finally relented to an amputation. It would seem that her running days were behind her.
But Palmiero-Winters didn’t see it that way. After her amputation, she began racing with a prosthetic leg, eventually connecting with Erik Schaffer, the owner of A Step Ahead Prosthetics. She quit her job to work for him in Hicksville, New York, in exchange for the chance to use his sophisticated running blades, which normally cost $25,000 each. The special prosthetic doesn’t give her an advantage over two-legged runners, but it brings her closer to a level playing field.
In recent years, Palmiero-Winters has taken part in some of the world’s most grueling races, including the Heartland 100 Mile, where she came in first of all female runners. And on January 1st, she finished first overall in the 24-hour “Run to the Future” race—qualifying her for the U.S. national track and field team. She will become the first American amputee runner to compete on this level.
Until then, Palmiero-Winters, a 37-year-old single mom, isn’t planning to rest. In June, she’ll be running the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run through the Sierra Nevada; and in July, she’s competing in the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race through California’s Death Valley.
It may sound intense, but Palmiero-Winters is running for more than just the fun of it.
“It helps me show people that we all face obstacles,” she said. “Me being out there helps them see that you can overcome (them).”