Amy Palmiero-Winters Becomes First Athlete with a Prosthesis to Complete an Ultraman Triathlon

HICKSVILLE, N.Y. - Feb. 24, 2014 - PRLog -- Hicksville, NY – Amputee endurance runner Amy Palmiero-Winters, whose accolades include eleven world records and an ESPN Espy Award, finished the Ultraman Florida race (www.ultramanflorida.com) held February 21-23 to become the first athlete with a prosthesis to complete one of these extreme triathlons. On day one, Amy completed the 6.2-mile swim in just over four hours (4:00:51) and the initial ninety-mile bike ride in a little more than six hours (6:11:10). Day two consisted entirely of a 170-mile bike ride, which she finished in less than twelve hours (11:38:28). Amy crossed the finish line on day three after running 52.4 miles in under twelve hours (11:54:40) Her total time for the 321.6-mile, three-day event was 33:44:09. Only twenty-nine athletes were able to finish this brutal race, widely considered to be among the most challenging of endurance sports.

“This was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done,” Amy said following the race. “But, as always, I wanted to show others that no matter what, it’s always possible to live a life without limitations. I also give a tremendous amount of credit to Erik Schaffer and A Step Ahead Prosthetics for building the special prosthetic legs that I use to compete. I couldn’t have done it without the custom-built running and cycling legs they provided.”

Among her future goals, Amy plans to compete in several more endurance races including hundred-mile ultramarathons and twenty-four hour races during 2014.

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Besides being a world-class endurance athlete, Amy is a single mother of two, works full time as program director for A Step Ahead Prosthetics in Hicksville, NY and runs her own charity, Amy’s One Step Ahead Foundation. Amy’s accomplishments have been recognized with the prestigious Sullivan and ESPY awards as well as many articles in Runners World, The New York Times, The Daily News, New York Post, Newsday and many other national publications. For more information on Amy Palmiero-Winters, visit www.seeamyrun.com and www.onestepaheadfoundation.org.