Back in January, 40-year-old Woody Thornton couldn’t run on a treadmill for a full minute. He’d wobble. His tiger-striped prosthetic legs couldn’t keep him straight.
So Thornton practiced. He walked. He jogged. He made himself go to the gym and do laps around his house. And April 4, it took him only 39 minutes, 6 seconds, to cross the finish line in CAST Ministries’ first-ever Run, Walk & Roll 5K and one-mile fun run.
Thornton, like most amputees, isn’t in the habit of giving up.
A member of Providence Baptist Church, Opelika, in Tuskegee Lee Baptist Association, Thornton lost his feet after being hit by a train in 1989 while a student at Auburn University. Several years and surgeries later, he started CAST (Christian Amputee Support Team) Ministries to help others cope with life as amputees — spiritually as well as physically.
That’s where events like the 5K and fun run come in.
“We had about 50 participants,” Thornton said. “Probably about 30 were doing the 5K and another 20 doing the one mile.”
Of the six amputees who ran, 37-year-old Brian Hicks, a triathlete who lost his left leg in 2003 while serving in Iraq, clocked in with the fastest time — 30 minutes, 41 seconds.
Also in attendance were Auburn’s mascot Aubie and representatives from Alabama Artificial Limb & Orthopedic Services. A health fair was held in conjunction with the run.
The event, held at the walking track behind Providence Baptist, also served as a fund-raiser for the ministry.
“We wound up raising $2,500 when it was all said and done,” said Thornton, who is already looking into making the run an annual event. “It worked out really well. Weatherwise it turned out perfect. It was just a really good day.”
For more information on Thornton’s story, visit www.thealabamabaptist.org and search for “Woody Thornton” or www.castministries.org. (TAB)
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