History was made last month when Jean Marie Altomari became the first self-propelled, wheelchair athlete to complete the world’s greatest ultra-marathon, South Africa’s storied Comrades Marathon.
“I stuck with it,” said Altomari, a Pennsylvania State Trooper that suffered a spinal-cord injury in 2010, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. “It was so much more amazing than I ever anticipated. But, man it was hard,” she said, recalling her history making feat.
Embodying the true ‘Spirit of the Comrades Marathon‘ and being an inspiration to humanity, Altomari learned about the Comrades Marathon Association sponsored event three years ago.
“I was immediately blown away when I learned about the race, just reading about it. It’s a living memorial.” said Altomari, an 11-year Pennsylvania State Police veteran on active permanent limited duty. “It’s the ultimate human race and I wanted to be there so badly,” she said.
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