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Running tips, stories about runners and running links are here! Enjoy.
Go here for a complete list of running links. Next week be sure to read about running legend, Ted Corbitt! If you are looking for a good cause and want to help a runner who is helping some very special people, take a look at her Letter to All. A First Grade Class Needs Your Number! Read their letter to you! I hope the readers of this column enjoy getting to know more about this amazing woman.
Wilma Rudolph was an exceptional American Track and Field runner that overcame debilitating childhood illnesses. She became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics. She was born in Bethlehem, Tennessee, in 1940. Wilma was such a small baby that she wasn't expected to live. She was the 20th of 22 children and was born with polio. She also suffered from serious bouts of pneumonia and scarlet fever as a young child. All these ailments contributed to a bad leg that some said would prevent her from ever walking, much less running. In fact she was told that she would never walk again. However, Wilma had a caring and devoted family. They made sure she got medical attention and they provided the physical therapy she needed every day, four times a day. Wilma wore a leg brace from the time she was five until she was 11 years old. On one fateful Sunday, Wilma decided to remove the brace. Tears of joy rolled down the faces of her family and friends as they watched her walk down the aisle of her church without the leg brace. Wilma became stronger and more active as time went by and by the time she was 13 she became involved in sports at school . This included basketball and track. Her great love of running blossomed and she began winning races. The thrill and joy of being able to run was something she never tired of.
Wilma was invited to a training camp at Tennessee State University by coach Ed Temple. He coached numerous track and field athletes and became Wilma's most important professional influence. He had seen something special in the talented young girl. She was still a sophomore in high school in 1956 when she was
The copyright of the article Wilma Rudolph, A Legend. in Running is owned by . Permission to republish Wilma Rudolph, A Legend. in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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