PUBLISHED 10/27/2006
The Inspiration: Rudy Garcia-Tolson
By John Rosengren
Rudy Garcia-Tolson can run a 5:57-minute mile--on two prosthetic legs. Born with pterygium syndrome, which prevented his legs from fully extending, Garcia-Tolson endured 15 unsuccessful surgeries to repair them by the time he was five. Doctors offered two options for mobility--a wheelchair or artificial limbs, the latter requiring above-the-knee amputations. "Cut them off," Garcia-Tolson told his parents and doctors. "I want to go outside and play." He was fitted with prostheses, and four years later, he ran his first race, finishing the mile in 17 minutes, last place. Another race, same story. Able-bodied kids called him "RoboCop" or "No-Legs Boy," but the determined Garcia-Tolson from Bloomington, California, pushed on, eventually completing an Olympic-distance triathlon and earning a gold medal at the Paralympics. His next goal is the 2007 Hawaii Ironman, a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run. The 18-year-old, who graduated from high school in May, will be the first double above-the-knee amputee to attempt the event. "I'm just doing what I love to do--swimming, biking, running--whether I have legs or not," he says. "If I had legs, I might not be as active. This gives me more motivation."
The Mentor: Molly Barker
By Jane Unger Hahn
When Molly Barker, a four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete, was running in sixth-grade gym class, she fell. She was devastated--not because she had fallen, but because her P.E. teacher accused her of not trying hard enough. "Middle-school-age girls never feel they are 'enough,'" Barker says. "They're not pretty, thin, or smart enough." Still incensed 25 years later, Barker founded a nonprofit program that encourages third- to eighth-grade girls to develop self-esteem through running. Girls on the Run International (GOTRI) is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. GOTRI girls meet twice a week for 12 weeks with a female coach, and at the end of the session they participate in a 5-K. "We tell the girls they can hop, skip, jump, walk, or run," says Barker, 46, a mother of two and former high school teacher. "We just want them to move forward, as in life." GOTRI has spread from Barker's hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, to 149 cities in the United States and Canada, and is now reaching 50,000 girls. "Running is the space in my day when I feel the most beautiful--when I don't feel judged by others," Barker says. "And that's what I want for all little girls."
