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First time wheelchair marathoner a top finisher

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Contributed by: Liz Easterly on 3/17/2008

Dawna Callahan has been Director of the Post-News Colorado Colfax Marathon's Wheelchair Division for two years, but she'd never competed in a wheelchair marathon herself until two weeks ago, where she was a top finisher in the Los Angeles Marathon's Wheelchair Race on March 2, 2008.

Not only was it Callahan's first marathon, it was her first competitive wheelchair race. She placed fourth in the women's open division with a time of 2:25:18.

As Director of the Wheelchair Division for the Colorado Colfax Marathon, Callahan is committed to creating opportunities for physically challenged athletes to compete. She invites elite wheelchair racers from across the country to participate in the 26.2 mile race. In 2007, 21 athletes finished the wheelchair marathon, and she expects a higher number this year, including racers from the US Paralympic Track team.

"I want to make sure our racers can focus on the race and the competition," Callahan said. "I decided to train and finish a wheelchair marathon to get a better perspective on what these athletes go through, from training through race day."

Callahan received a racing wheelchair through a grant from Challenged Athletes Foundation. The winner of the first Colorado Colfax Marathon Wheelchair Race in 2006, Jacob Heilveil of Longmont, helped Callahan fit her specialized chair and began to mentor and train with her. Winter weather made it difficult to train outdoors, so the furthest Callahan had gone was eleven miles on the road before the race.

"It's an incredible feeling for an athlete to cross that finish line," Callahan said.

ABOUT THE POST-NEWS COLORADO COLFAX MARATHON WHEELCHAIR RACE
The Post-News Colorado Colfax Marathon is the proud host of the 2008 National Wheelchair Marathon Championships on May 18, 2006. In addition to these elite racers, we welcome athletes of all skill levels to compete in the 26.2 mile race. For more information, visit www.coloradocolfaxmarathon.org or contact Dawna Callahan at dawnam@yahoo.com.

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Liz Easterly

Denver , CO

Liz Easterly has posted 16 stories and 4 comments since joining on 3/2/2008. Liz Easterly 's average story rating is 5.

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