This Sunday's New York Marathon will represent an amazing tale of recovery for one woman in the 50,000 plus field.
Passle Helminski, 68, will take to the line 29 years after being the victim of a vicious attack, which seemingly ended her running days forever. Whilst training for the 1993 version of the event, Helminski had bug aspirations, and knew her time would determine whether she would qualify for the United States Olympic Trials in race walking.
But having completed training walk in Erie County when she returned to her vehicle in a school parking lot, she was assaulted by a man. The attack left a tear in her left carotid artery, one of the two vessels that supplies blood to a person’s neck, face and brain, and she had a stroke hours later.
