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Running a marathon is an impressive achievement for anyone. One woman took that achievement to a whole new level when she ran 104 marathons in 104 days, all with a prosthetic leg.
Jacky Hunt-Broersma is a mother of two who lives in Arizona. She lost her lower left leg to Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in 2001.
After the surgery, she found that running was an amazing way to accept her body and feel proud of what she could do. She told ESPN,
Running really changed my life and it gave me a more sense of acceptance of my body and just more … “I can do things, I can do hard things!”
Her running hobby expanded over the years to “ultra running,” covering distances longer than a traditional marathon. She has a 240-mile ultra run in Utah planned for later this year.
But first, she decided to beat the previous Guinness World Record for marathon runs on consecutive days. You know, for fun.
Well, not just for fun. Jacky is understandably passionate about supporting amputee runners. A special prosthetic is needed for running, and the cost can be prohibitively expensive.
So as part of her challenge, Jacky raised funds for Amputee Blade Runners. She told ESPN,
Here in the States, running blades are really expensive and health insurance doesn’t cover it, they see it as a luxury. So I thought it would be a great way to raise money for charity and it would be a good way to give back.
Every day of her challenge, she shared an image on her Instagram account, tallying the number of marathons she’d run so far.
Of course, she gained lots of fans, with over 52,000 followers applauding her journey.
It’s no wonder Jacky’s story drew international attention. Her perseverance, courage, and determination are an inspiration to anyone trying to “do hard things” as she does.
Jacky, best of luck with your upcoming ultra run! We’ll be cheering you on!
And today we celebrate...