Amy Palmiero-Winters, a transtibial amputee, world-class
ultramarathon runner, coach, mentor and the single mother of two, was named the
winner of the 80th James E. Sullivan Award as America’s top amateur
athlete at a ceremony at the New York Athletic Club. The prestigious honor,
presented by the Amateur Athletic Union, is based on outstanding athletic
ability and accomplishments, as well as sportsmanship, leadership and character
on and off the field, according to a press release.
Palmiero-Winters will be competing at the World
Championship 24 hour run in Brive, France on May 14, making her the first
athlete in history with a disability to compete on an able-bodied world
championship running team.
She has set world records for amputee women at 50
kilometers, 50 miles, 100 kilometers, 100 miles and 24-hour races as an
ultramarathoner. She recently won the Arizona Road Racers 24-hour Run to the
Future by running 130.4 miles, beating all able bodied male and female
entrants. She also competes in the Ironman triathlon, is the first amputee to
qualify for the famed Westerns States 100 mile ultramarathon, and was recently
selected to participate in the Badwater Ultramarathon (135 miles) in
California, which is globally recognized as the “world’s toughest
footrace.”
In addition to her running achievements, she volunteers
her time coaching and motivating children with disabilities. She is the
full-time director of Team A Step Ahead, a nationwide sports team of adults and
children with limb loss sponsored by A Step Ahead Prosthetics and Orthotics.
“This incredible honor recognizes Amy as one of the
great American athletes, someone who has overcome significant challenges to
become a world-class competitor and an even better human being,” Erik
Schaffer, president of A Step Ahead, which sponsors Palmiero-Winters as a
member of Team A Step Ahead, said. “Amy is an inspiration to everyone, but
especially the young athletes who know that their disability cannot stop them
from achieving their dreams.”
