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| For Immediate Release |
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| WORLD RECORD AMPUTEE MARATHON RUNNER AMY DODSON TO COMPETE IN FIRST OC MARATHON, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5 |
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CORONA, Calif. (December 01, 2004) - NEWPORT BEACH, CA December 1, 2004 -Amputee and world-record marathon runner, Amy Dodson, representing Irvine-based prosthetic manufacturer Freedom Innovations, will compete in Orange County's first marathon on Sunday, December 5.
Sunday's race starts on San Miguel Road in Newport Beach at 7:30 AM and winds through Newport Beach and Irvine, finishing at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. "I am hoping to beat my personal record this marathon," stated Dodson.
Dodson, 42, lost her left leg and lower lobe of her left lung to cancer (undifferentiated sarcoma) in 1983 and began distance running 15 years later. In 1999 she began running marathons, and in 2003 began competing in triathlons, capturing the gold medal in the 5000 meter at the DSUSA National Games in 1999.
Dodson will be a featured speaker at the Health, Fitness and Nutrition Expo, located at 2152 Alton Parkway in Irvine on Friday, December 3 at 6:30PM.
Dodson recently won first place in the Silver Strand Half Marathon in San Diego, finishing with a time of 1:55. Prior to this, she competed against more than 1,000 other athletes, including 19 participants in the Challenged Athletes division, in the Women's Below-Knee Amputee/Challenged Athletes division of the 18th Annual 2004 Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 19. She crossed the finish line with a time of 2:30:20. The race was part of Paralympics Development Team training, in which Dodson is one of 12 athletes who compete in triathlons nation wide, with the goal of qualifying for the Triathlon in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.
Prior to the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, Dodson took first place in her division in the 2004 Accenture Chicago Triathlon on Aug. 29. Dodson beat out Sandy Dukat, a member of the Paralympics ski team, to win her division of the event, finishing the race with a winning time of 3:15.
Dodson resides in Adrian, MI, and joined Irvine-based Freedom Innovations in April 2004 as part of its Amputee Advocate program. She competes in a Freedom Innovations sprinter foot (designed for runners) and also wears a Freedom "renegade" foot (designed for high impact activity) when competing in marathons and triathlons.
Having completed ten marathons to date, Dodson set the world record in October 2002 at the St. George, Utah, Marathon. At this marathon, she outpaced the former record, set by Lindsay Nielsen in 1999, by over 24 minutes. As a newcomer to triathlons, Dodson won the gold medal in her division in the ITU World Championship Olympic Distance Triathlon held in Queenstown, New Zealand, in December 2003.
Dodson's current statistics stand as:
5k: 22:28
Half-marathon: 1:51:06
Marathon: 3:53:21
Olympic Distance Triathlon: 2:57:57
Highlights of the OC Marathon include:
The Health, Fitness and Nutrition Expo launches the marathon weekend on Friday, December 3 from 2:00-8:00PM and continuing through Saturday, 9:00-6:00PM. Special guest speakers include Amy Dodson, Bill Rodgers, Dr. Lenny Wierma and Bill Sumner.
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Additionally, the 5K Races are scheduled at 7:30AM at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, and are out-and-back courses. "Over 8,000 runners are expected show up to compete on Sunday in the Marathon, half marathon, 5Ks and kids races," said Coach Bill Sumner, Race Director for the OC Marathon.
About Freedom Innovations
Founded in 2002, Freedom Innovations designs, manufactures, distributes and markets advanced technology prosthetics to provide amputees with feet and other components that create "a revolution in motion and freedom of activity." Based in Irvine, CA, the Freedom and Revolution Series of lower-limb prosthetics are distributed throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. The Evolution SP Liners are distributed throughout North America. More information is available by calling toll-free (888) 818-6777 or (949) 672-0032, or by visiting the Web site at www.freedom-innovations.com.
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