KELLY'S PHILOSOPHY
She went into it thinking it was just another road race, but the last
200 meters proved to her that it was far from it. It could have been
any part of her body that failed as she neared the finish line of that
grueling event that forced her up inclines that went from 500 to 900
feet above sea level. She could have twisted an ankle, pulled a
hamstring or tripped over a loose rock, but it was none of these. For
a moment, as she picked herself up off the ground, Kelly had no
idea what had caused her to fall. That was, at least, not until she
stepped down on her running prosthesis only to find that it wasn't
there...
Physically the leg was still attached to her own, but the carbon fiber
foot had twisted around a titanium bolt that fastened it on to the
socket. For all intents and purposes, Kelly had no leg to run with
and yet that was not even close to enough to stop her from
finishing. Carrying her artificial leg in one hand she hopped the
distance to the finish line to complete her first 8 mile trail run.
In that event Kelly pushed herself because that's what she does.
For her it is a not about being recognized for her leg, or for what she
can do despite missing one of her legs. It has always been about
holding herself to the same standard as everyone else and
competing against the other athletes in her age group. For Kelly it is
more than just getting out there and playing the sport. She wants to
excel and exceed expectations; even her own. She wants to push
the limits. Anyone can play, not everyone can compete. And she
wants to compete to the best of her ability.
Kelly has always understood what it is like to be different, but that
has never stopped her from fitting in. But today it's more than fitting
in. It's about standing out; standing out based on her merits, not her
leg. And it's about meeting the standards set by able-body athletes.
She trains as hard and works as hard as any other athlete, and her
times prove it.
KELLY'S PAST
Kelly is a 24 year old triathlete and distance runner. She is also a
below knee amputee, having lost her leg to a congenital defect
when she was 6 months old. She was fit with her first prosthesis at
the age of nine months and was walking by the time she was 13
months old. Running came just as naturally as walking so it is little
wonder that by middle school Kelly was ready to show the world
what she could do. By eighth grade Kelly was racing with the United
States Disabled Sports Team at national and international track and
field events, competing in races ranging from the 100-meter to the
800-meter. In 2002 Kelly held 2 world records in her disability
classification in track and was also a top runner on her high school
varsity cross country team.
When Kelly entered her freshman year at Duke University, she
continued to train by running with her school’s track and cross
country teams. Unfortunately, a chronic running injury cut her college
career short. She started spending time in the pool or on a
stationary bike many days of the week; days that she would rather
be running. The rehab seemed endless at first, but what started as
cross training eventually became her new passion Within a couple
of months Kelly was ready to sign up for her first triathlon. With a
grant from the Challenged Athletes Foundation Kelly was able to
purchase her first triathlon bike and begin a successful career in
triathlon.
This year Kelly raced in her third ITU World Triathlon
Championships in Vancouver where she took first place in her
disability classification and set a personal record with a time of 2:34:
51. She also claimed the National Champion title at the New York
City Triathlon, which serves as the Physically Challenged Nationals.
Her time was also competitive in her able-body age group, placing
her 6th of 23 competitors. Kelly is a 3-time Ironman finisher as well,
with a personal best time of 12:29:03, which she did at the Beach 2
Battleship Ironman distance race this year. Her resume also
highlights finishes at Ironman Arizona and Ironman World
Championships in 2007. These finishes are the reason why, for the
second year in a row, Kelly was invited to join the Elite Triangle
Triathlon Team, which consists of the best triathletes in the Raleigh-
Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina.
Kelly continues to race at the amateur elite level in triathlons and
looks forward to pushing new limits during the coming season. She
works avidly to promote the sport of triathlon for all disabled
athletes, and volunteers regularly with the Wounded Warrior Project
and Triangle Amputee Support Group. Kelly is also not just limited
to triathlon. This past year she also helped break new ground in the
sport of tennis by being the first disabled ballperson at the US
Open. It has been an exciting year, but she looks forward to an even
more ambitious schedule for 2009.
She went into it thinking it was just another road race, but the last
200 meters proved to her that it was far from it. It could have been
any part of her body that failed as she neared the finish line of that
grueling event that forced her up inclines that went from 500 to 900
feet above sea level. She could have twisted an ankle, pulled a
hamstring or tripped over a loose rock, but it was none of these. For
a moment, as she picked herself up off the ground, Kelly had no
idea what had caused her to fall. That was, at least, not until she
stepped down on her running prosthesis only to find that it wasn't
there...
Physically the leg was still attached to her own, but the carbon fiber
foot had twisted around a titanium bolt that fastened it on to the
socket. For all intents and purposes, Kelly had no leg to run with
and yet that was not even close to enough to stop her from
finishing. Carrying her artificial leg in one hand she hopped the
distance to the finish line to complete her first 8 mile trail run.
In that event Kelly pushed herself because that's what she does.
For her it is a not about being recognized for her leg, or for what she
can do despite missing one of her legs. It has always been about
holding herself to the same standard as everyone else and
competing against the other athletes in her age group. For Kelly it is
more than just getting out there and playing the sport. She wants to
excel and exceed expectations; even her own. She wants to push
the limits. Anyone can play, not everyone can compete. And she
wants to compete to the best of her ability.
Kelly has always understood what it is like to be different, but that
has never stopped her from fitting in. But today it's more than fitting
in. It's about standing out; standing out based on her merits, not her
leg. And it's about meeting the standards set by able-body athletes.
She trains as hard and works as hard as any other athlete, and her
times prove it.
KELLY'S PAST
Kelly is a 24 year old triathlete and distance runner. She is also a
below knee amputee, having lost her leg to a congenital defect
when she was 6 months old. She was fit with her first prosthesis at
the age of nine months and was walking by the time she was 13
months old. Running came just as naturally as walking so it is little
wonder that by middle school Kelly was ready to show the world
what she could do. By eighth grade Kelly was racing with the United
States Disabled Sports Team at national and international track and
field events, competing in races ranging from the 100-meter to the
800-meter. In 2002 Kelly held 2 world records in her disability
classification in track and was also a top runner on her high school
varsity cross country team.
When Kelly entered her freshman year at Duke University, she
continued to train by running with her school’s track and cross
country teams. Unfortunately, a chronic running injury cut her college
career short. She started spending time in the pool or on a
stationary bike many days of the week; days that she would rather
be running. The rehab seemed endless at first, but what started as
cross training eventually became her new passion Within a couple
of months Kelly was ready to sign up for her first triathlon. With a
grant from the Challenged Athletes Foundation Kelly was able to
purchase her first triathlon bike and begin a successful career in
triathlon.
This year Kelly raced in her third ITU World Triathlon
Championships in Vancouver where she took first place in her
disability classification and set a personal record with a time of 2:34:
51. She also claimed the National Champion title at the New York
City Triathlon, which serves as the Physically Challenged Nationals.
Her time was also competitive in her able-body age group, placing
her 6th of 23 competitors. Kelly is a 3-time Ironman finisher as well,
with a personal best time of 12:29:03, which she did at the Beach 2
Battleship Ironman distance race this year. Her resume also
highlights finishes at Ironman Arizona and Ironman World
Championships in 2007. These finishes are the reason why, for the
second year in a row, Kelly was invited to join the Elite Triangle
Triathlon Team, which consists of the best triathletes in the Raleigh-
Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina.
Kelly continues to race at the amateur elite level in triathlons and
looks forward to pushing new limits during the coming season. She
works avidly to promote the sport of triathlon for all disabled
athletes, and volunteers regularly with the Wounded Warrior Project
and Triangle Amputee Support Group. Kelly is also not just limited
to triathlon. This past year she also helped break new ground in the
sport of tennis by being the first disabled ballperson at the US
Open. It has been an exciting year, but she looks forward to an even
more ambitious schedule for 2009.
2008 World
Champion (ITU
World Triathlon
Championships
Gold Medalist)
2008 National
Champion (PC
Nationals Gold
Medalist)
2X ITU World
Triathlon
Championships
Silver
Medalist
3X Ironman
Finisher
Female Amputee
Ironman World
Championships
World
Record Holder
2006 Physically
Challenged
Female
Athlete of the Year
(Honorable
Mention)
2005 Physically
Challenged
Female
Athlete of the Year
(Honorable
Mention)
| AWARDS & HIGHLIGHTS |
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| PERSONAL RECORDS |
Road Races
5K PR: 20:46
10K PR: 45:53
20K PR: 1:35:14
Triathlons
Olympic: 2:34:51
Half: 6:14:45
Ironman: 12:29:03
5K PR: 20:46
10K PR: 45:53
20K PR: 1:35:14
Triathlons
Olympic: 2:34:51
Half: 6:14:45
Ironman: 12:29:03