Amy Palmiero Winters of Meadville, Pa., is what many people would call a natural born athlete. Amy herself says she is lucky it all comes so naturally for her. So when Amy became a below-the-knee amputee at the age of 24, it didn’t occur to her that she would not continue her passion for competitive running.

Amy’s list of competitions is impressive. She broke the Olympic distance triathlon record at the New York City Triathlon July 17. Her winning time of 2:25:24 eclipsed the previous record in this triathlon distance by over 25 minutes. She qualified to compete at the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, in September.

Amy also had a notable run at the Cleveland Marathon May 21. She finished in 3:26:19 knocking more than 27 minutes off the previous best time for a female amputee. She averaged a 7:51 mile/minute pace, finishing 20th overall out of 3399 female runners, placing her in the top one percent of all female able-bodied competitors.

Other notable races include First Place finishes in the 2005 Silver Strand Half Marathon (San Diego), and the 2005 ITU JAL Triathlon World Championship. There was also the Third Place finish in the 2005 Ford New York City Triathlon, and a Second Place finish in the 2004 San Diego half marathon – when she was nearly five months pregnant.

Several prestigious competitions are in Amy’s sight for 2006, including defending her titles in San Diego and Lausanne. Plus, she is hoping to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Paralympics team, should a Paralympics Triathlon become a scheduled event. She has also set a goal of being the first female athlete to run a 100-mile ultra-marathon.  Amy became an amputee resulting from complications of a motorcycle accident in 1994, when she was 21 years old. She underwent 25 surgeries to save the foot, but it was amputated in 1997.

Amy, who ran track in high school and still holds her school record for hurdles, thought her running days were behind her until she became a patient of prosthetist Joe Carter, CPO, owner of Carter Orthopedics, Ltd., Titusville, Penn. “Joe fabricated a prosthesis for me that was geared to high activity,” Amy says. “When I got my new leg from Joe, it fit so well and felt so comfortable, I immediately went out and ran.”

Amy participated competitively in area races, but wanted more challenge. “I was looking for involvement at a higher level and Joe told me about the half marathon in San Diego,” she said.
That was her first national competition and she placed second. While in San Diego, she learned of the NYC Triathlon, and took third place among amputees. Her time qualified her for the October 2005 Hawaii triathlon, which she won completing a one-mile swim, a 24.8-mile bike ride, and a 6.2-mile run in 2:59:37.

“If it weren’t for Joe, I wouldn’t have gotten so far. I can have all the athletic ability, but if I didn’t have the tools I couldn’t do it. Joe supplied the tools,” Amy said.

Although running is Amy’s passion, she has another reason for pursuing her sport so diligently. “I want to do this for my kids. It’s not all about me; it’s also for them. When they get older, they’ll know what I have done, and that life is what you make it. The only limits they have, are the ones they set for themselves.”

Amy recently joined other amputees as a member of Team Step A Head, a group of elite amputee athletes from around the world who participate in high-level events like the Paralympics, Hawaii Ironman Triathlon, and marathons. Team A Step Ahead members hold or have held world records in the 100 m (female, above-knee amputee), 200 m (female, above-knee), 400 m (female, above-knee), and marathon (female, above-knee and below-knee). Members receive a multi-disciplinary approach to training involving prosthetists, physical therapists, and coaches with expertise training amputee athletes, including many Paralympians. The team is sponsored by A Step Ahead Prosthetics, Hicksville, New York.