Bilateral amputees set to run in Oklahoma half marathon find strength in friendship
(FOX NEWS) - Running is widely known to be just as much of a mental sport as it is physical, and for two runners competing in the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon Sunday, that theory rings true. Cameron Clapp, 30, and Seth Alexander, 20, are each bilateral amputees, meaning they are missing both legs from above the knee.
For Clapp, who was 15 when he was hit by a freight train near his California home, severing both his legs and his right arm, Oklahoma City will be his fourth marathon but likely the most meaningful. Clapp will be running with Alexander, who lost his legs in a car accident at age 16. The two formed a bond over their love of running, which had provided them with a freedom they haven't felt since their injuries.
"Before the accident, my twin brother and me were the fastest kids in our school," Clapp told FoxNews.com. "We loved running, and we excelled in sports. Going into high school I was more of a 'skater-surfer California dude,' and then after the accident, I was turned into an amputee multiple-sports athlete."
Alexander has a similar story, as he was being scouted in his home state of Missouri to play baseball at college, and had a love for basketball before his accident in 2011. During his month-long hospitalization, he isolated himself from sports, abandoning what once made him happy as he underwent 13 surgeries to recover.