Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
26.2 miles. A marathon is a lot to ask.
Now, imagine doing it in a wheelchair. With impaired vision.
We caught up with a unique athlete training for the New York City Marathon in this week’s ‘Western Washington Gets Real’.
“My condition’s getting worse, but when I play sports, I don’t have that feeling.”
Blind in one eye, Amy Wiegand has also been diagnosed with paralysis. She’s slowly losing feeling in her legs, too.
But when a chance to compete in the upcoming New York City Marathon, a lifelong goal, popped up in a company newsletter, she raced toward the opportunity.
“So, kind of like a lottery system,” she explained. “You put your name in the hat and see what happens.
“And, I was selected out of thousands of people…before I’d even sat in a racing wheelchair.”
You heard that right! A daunting ask. Even for the accomplished athlete who discovered sled hockey a couple of years ago.
“It was probably the scariest day I’ve ever had,” she recounted.
“I got myself there, got on the ice. And it was the first time since becoming disabled that I did not feel like it was holding me back.”
READ MORE kiro7.com/news/local/washington-athlete-with-impaired-vision-prepares-new-york-city-marathon/66XVB4OBL5CJDFWD7JVMZMDXOA
26.2 miles. A marathon is a lot to ask.
Now, imagine doing it in a wheelchair. With impaired vision.
We caught up with a unique athlete training for the New York City Marathon in this week’s ‘Western Washington Gets Real’.
“My condition’s getting worse, but when I play sports, I don’t have that feeling.”
Blind in one eye, Amy Wiegand has also been diagnosed with paralysis. She’s slowly losing feeling in her legs, too.
But when a chance to compete in the upcoming New York City Marathon, a lifelong goal, popped up in a company newsletter, she raced toward the opportunity.
“So, kind of like a lottery system,” she explained. “You put your name in the hat and see what happens.
“And, I was selected out of thousands of people…before I’d even sat in a racing wheelchair.”
You heard that right! A daunting ask. Even for the accomplished athlete who discovered sled hockey a couple of years ago.
“It was probably the scariest day I’ve ever had,” she recounted.
“I got myself there, got on the ice. And it was the first time since becoming disabled that I did not feel like it was holding me back.”
READ MORE kiro7.com/news/local/washington-athlete-with-impaired-vision-prepares-new-york-city-marathon/66XVB4OBL5CJDFWD7JVMZMDXOA
