In her first-ever competitive wheelchair race, Dawna Callahan placed fourth in the women’s open division at the Los Angeles Marathon’s Wheelchair Race on March 2. 

What’s more, the furthest Callahan had trained on the road prior to race day was 11 miles because winter weather had made it difficult for her to train outdoors. Still, she finished with a time of 2:25:18.

“It’s an incredible feeling for an athlete to cross that finish line,” she says.

Callahan is the director of the wheelchair division for the Post-News Colorado Colfax Marathon, which will occur in Denver on May 18. Last year, 21 athletes finished that wheelchair marathon, and Callahan expects a higher number this year, including racers from the U.S. Paralympic track team, she says.

For more information on the Colorado Colfax Marathon, visit www.coloradocolfaxmarathon.org.