Heath Abbot, who lost both her legs in the Boston Marathon bombing last May, ran on Sunday thanks to the help of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, The Boston Globe reported.
Abbot had been using prosthetic legs better suited for walking. Her new, more technologically-advanced appendages, or "blade runners" as they've been called after now disgraced South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius used them to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. The new gear brings back the freedom of athletic movement for Abbot.
"It feels pretty good - different, like there's more spring in my step," Abbot told The Boston Globe. "It feels better the more I do it."
She also likened the difference to "going from a Volvo to a Corvette."
For photos and video, click here. For video of a previous running clinic held by The Challenged Athletes Foundation, see below.
Learning to handle her new legs, which cost around $5,000 (all donated by the Challenged Athletes Foundation) will take time, according to The Globe. Balance, posture, and a variety of other movements must be coordinated before one can safely use the blades. Until then, the transition can be painful.
"It takes a long time to get used to this, to getting through the chafing and the blisters," said Roy Perkins, a senior marketing director for the foundation. "You can't just slap on a leg. It takes a lot of confidence."
Not only did The Challenged Athletes Foundation provide Heather with the money for the legs, it also staged a running clinic for her and 41 other amputee athletes ages 2 to 70 on Sunday at Harvard University. At the clinic, physical therapists helped prosthetic runners learn proper form.
One participant was four-year-old Brandon O'Neill, whose new legs inspired a positive outlook on his future.
"I never want to take them off - for the rest of my life," he told The Globe.
Another attendee was Celeste Corcoran, 47, who, like Abbot, lost both legs at Boston, according to The Globe. Though she wasn't able to keep the high tech blades like Abbot, Corcoran benefited from the instruction.
"It feels really good - awesome," Corcoran said.
"I still feel like a toddler learning to walk," she said. "Maybe I'll be able to trot across the finish line next year."
Prosthetics designed for running are expensive and not all insurance companies cover them. Foundation officials, according to The Boston Globe, estimate they can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $40,000 when accounting for fitting, type of amputation, and physical therapy. Foundations simply don't have enough money to provide for all those in need.
