Linda Down is an American woman born with
cerebral palsy. She completed the 26.1 mile 1982 and 1984
New York City Marathon on
crutches, because of her lack of
motor coordination Motor coordination is the orchestrated movement of multiple body parts as required to accomplish intended actions, like walking. This coordination is achieved by adjusting kinematic and kinetic parameters associated with each body part involved in t ...
as well as
muscle spasticity
Spasticity () is a feature of altered skeletal muscle performance with a combination of paralysis, increased tendon reflex activity, and hypertonia. It is also colloquially referred to as an unusual "tightness", stiffness, or "pull" of muscles.
...
.
At a
White House reception on October 27, 1982, President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
welcomed her with the thought that
:"no one in that marathon showed more heart and more courage. Linda, the victim of cerebral palsy, is more familiar with the word 'victory' than 'victim'. She did the 26 miles of the marathon in 11 hours -- the first person ever to attempt to do that with the aid of crutches. And, Linda, if all of those people out there wouldn't say I was being political, I'd say you truly 'stayed the course.'"
[http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1982/102782a.htm]
References
American female long-distance runners
American disabled sportspeople
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American women
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