When Amy Cohen, 29, finished the New York City Marathon, she broke ground as the first person with the illness to run the 26.2 mile race
NEED TO KNOW
- Amy Cohen became the first-ever person with sickle cell anemia to run a marathon, something she called a “lifelong goal”
- Cohen, 29, ran the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2 with NYRR’s Team Inspire and now feels “at peace”
- Her accomplishment will “help our sickle cell warriors achieve whatever they want,” Dr. Sharl Azar, medical director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Center at Mass General Hospital, tells PEOPLE
Completing the New York City Marathon — an arduous 26.2 mile trek up and down hills across the city’s five boroughs — is an impressive feat for even the most athletic, well-trained runner.
For Amy Cohen, it was groundbreaking.
On Nov. 2, the 29-year-old became the first person with sickle cell anemia to run a marathon, joining New York Road Runners’ 26-person Team Inspire and crossing the finish line at 6 hours 9 minutes and 27 seconds…