Amy Dodson completing the New York City Triathlon
It
will be a homecoming like no other when Amy Dodson returns to Cookeville for
the Cummins Falls Marathon. She has been so far.
The
Arizona athlete has journeyed not only across Earth’s geography but also
through the world of endurance. It was here in Cookeville that she started
running.
In
2000 Tammie Wright, a teacher and colleague at Cane Creek Elementary, was
organizing a race called the Pilot 5K. Amy recalls their conversation. She’d
remarked wistfully,
“I
wish I could run that…”
“Why
don’t you?” replied Tammie.
Amy’s
reluctance was understandable. She’d lost her lower left leg to cancer in 1984 while
a junior at the University of Arizona. It took her left lung too. Now some 16
years later, here in Cookeville, following the gentle urging of her friend, Amy
took the plunge that would change her life. She ran that 5K. Ran it in a prosthetic
meant for walking, but not for running.
She
soon owned a prosthetic designed for running. She began a life of active training.
The maker of her prosthetic, Freedom-Innovations, became her sponsor.
Amy Dodson was featured on the cover of Runner's World, July 2011
Bright
titles and records fell. She increased her runs to marathon distance, 26.2
miles. In 2001 she became the first woman leg-amputee to finish the prestigious
Boston Marathon.
She
set the marathon World Record for leg amputee in St. George Utah, a time of 3:53:21.
There’s
too much to note. She owns a roomful of titles and records in her division of
“Physically Challenged.” Even a short summary stretches long:
International
Triathlon Union (ITU) World Champion, Queenstown, NZ, 2003
ITU
World Champion, Hamburg, GER, 2007
ITU
Silver at Worlds, Vancouver, BC, 2008
ITU
Silver at Worlds, Gold Coast, AUS, 2009
Four-Time
USA Half-Marathon Champion
Two-Time
National Triathlon Champion, New York City
First
Place, Ironman World Championship, Kona, HI, 2012
Amy
teaches fifth grade at Ventana Vista Elementary, Tucson, AZ.
In
May she heads to Brazil for her sixth Ironman race. This week she returns to
Cookeville, the place she moved to in 1993, the place where it all began. It is
her first visit since moving away in 2001.
Amy Dodson holds her prosthetic leg aloff atop the Golden Gate Bridge during a 667-mile relay race from San Francisco to San Diego
On
Saturday, February 25, she will run the Cummins Falls Half Marathon. It and the Marathon
start at 8:00 a.m. The 5K, and 10K start at 9:00 a.m. Registration and packet
pickup are at 2-7 in Townplace Suites and also at the park on Saturday morning up
until 30 minutes before the race.
