Palmiero-Winters crosses the Badwater Ultramarathon finish line. Photograph courtesy of AdventureCorps.
In the early hours of the morning of July 13, amputee runner Amy Palmiero-Winters became the first female amputee to finish the Badwater Ultramarathon.
Often called the “world’s toughest foot race,” Badwater is a 135-mile nonstop run with a 48-hour time limit, from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, California, where temperatures often rise to 130-degrees Fahrenheit. This was Palmiero-Winters’ second time running Badwater; a 2010 attempt ended in injury as the bone in her residual limb broke through the skin inside her prosthesis. Frequently, runners who do not finish the Badwater Ultramarathon are not afforded another chance in favor of new runners wanting to attempt this invitational race.
Palmiero-Winters completed the 2011 ultramarathon with a time of 41:26:42.
