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Ready to run
A classic story
of determination
Kelly Luckett has no recollection
of the riding mower accident that took her right foot above the ankle
when she was only two years old.
What she does have is an abundance of determination. She will prove that
once again when she steps up to the starting line of this week’s
Peachtree City Classic 15K, albeit with a prosthesis in place.
This 36-year-old Louisville, Ky., native considers the race to be another
important milestone on her way to athletic achievement in distance running
as it will be the longest distance she has ever raced.
Inspired by her husband Brian’s participation in the annual Fourth
of July Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Luckett, like many others who
get swept up in the excitement of the event, figured, “I can do that.”
The difference, of course, was that not only did she not have an athletic
background, she would be starting with a physical disadvantage.
Not one to let obstacles get in the way, Luckett began her training with
a slow jog that lasted all of 30 seconds. Those first few steps a few
short months ago in February earlier this year were the beginning of what
would become a weekly regimen of 20-25 miles.
Luckett fulfilled the first of her goals when she ran the Peachtree this
year, only five months into her training. As a testament to her fortitude,
a soldier pressed his coveted airborne wings into her hands, helping to
make the memory of her first race even more special. She then ran her
first 5K two weeks after Peachtree, finishing the Atlanta Hot and Humid
in a time of 42:20. Even more amazingly, she placed third in her age group.
While certainly not considered a blazing time, Luckett remained undaunted.
In fact, she has run four more 5K’s and a 4-mile race since then.
She also competed in another 10K, running the Buckhead Sizzler in 1:20.
Luckett has run as far as 10 miles in training, so she has no doubt she
will be able to complete the 15K this Saturday. Afterwards, she will continue
to increase her weekly mileage as her next target is the Atlanta Half
Marathon in November. But that race too, will not cap her career, but
rather serve as another confidence builder on her way to her ultimate
goal, the Country Music Marathon in Nashville in April next year. A little
over a year after first taking those first tentative steps, Luckett will
tackle the full 26.2-mile beast that has challenged even the best of athletes.
There is no doubt that Luckett will face this task as she has all other
obstacles in the past, with determination in her heart and her eye on
the prize.
Although mail-in and online applications for the Peachtree City Classic
have closed, there is still one more opportunity to register. That will
be at the pre-race day expo today at the Wyndham Peachtree Conference
Center from 5-9 p.m. The Expo will include health and fitness products,
sponsors, and selected vendors. Entry fee is $20 for each of the three
races: the Men’s 5K, the Women’s 5K and the 15K Open. Get inspired,
challenge yourself, and come out and see what you can do.
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