Double amputee to run Surf City Marathon
Huntington Beach resident Jami Marseilles lost her legs to frostbite after being stranded for 11 days in a blizzard in the White Mountains of Arizona in 1988, but being a double amputee has not deterred her from accomplishing what she wants to do.
On Sunday, Marseilles, 47, will be the first double amputee to run a half-marathon during the Surf City Marathon, which is celebrating its 20th year in the city.
It will also be the first time Marseilles, a kindergarten teacher at Eisenhower Elementary School in Garden Grove, will be running in her hometown marathon. She will use the 13.1-mile run as part of her training for the Boston Marathon in April.
Marseilles completed her first full marathon in October when she finished the Chicago Marathon in 6 hours 27 minutes 1 second.
“I’m so excited to run in my hometown and run on the course that I know,” she said.
Marseilles was inspired to start running in 1996 after she watched a video of double-amputee athletes competing in the Paralympic Games. Since then, she has run in numerous 5K events, four half-marathons and one full marathon.
The marathon will kick off at 6:30 a.m. at Huntington Street and Pacific Coast Highway and finish in front of the Pacific City shopping center.
