SAHARA MARATHON

For The New York Times; April 2019

Elite athlete and unilateral amputee, Amy Palmiero-Winters, participates in the 2019 Marathon des Sables, a six day 140 mile ultramarathon through Morocco’s Sahara Desert. Along with New York Times sports reporter Jeré Longman, we followed Amy from Long Island to Morocco and through every step of the grueling ultramarathon. She was the first female amputee in the marathon’s 34 year history to finish the race.

Jeré’s beautiful account of Amy’s story can be read here: An Amputee’s Toughest Challenge Yet: Her 140-Mile Run in the Desert 

The blue and yellow lead photo from this story was selected for TIME magazine’s Top 100 photos of the year, along with The New York Times’ 2019 Year in Pictures
To prepare for an ultramarathon in the Sahara Desert, Amy Palmiero-Winters sometimes trains by running with her step-son on her shoulders. In the desert, Palmiero-Winters will have to carry a backpack through 140 miles of terrain to complete the Marathon des Sables.
Amy trains with her step-sons at Camo CrossFit in Farmingdale, Long Island.
To prepare for the heat in the Sahara Desert, Amy Palmiero-Winters trains in a sauna at a hotel in Long Island.
Amy Palmiero-Winters at Hotel Ouarzazate Le Tichka before boarding a bus to the Marathon des Sables, an ultramarathon in the Sahara Desert.
Amy has a quiet moment alone in Ouarzazate, Morocco before leaving for the marathon
Refusing help from a hotel attendant, Amy takes her luggage to board a bus to the Marathon des Sables.
Camels at the bivouac before the start of day three of the Marathon des Sables, a six day ultramarathon through the Sahara Desert.
Simran Singh, left, and Amy Palmiero-Winters, right, prepare for the start of the Marathon des Sables. Amy is in a tent with six other Americans participating in the ultramarathon.
Amy walks to the starting line on day one of the Marathon des Sables.
Participants of the Marathon des Sables approach the finish line of day one of the race.
Amy Palmiero-Winters runs through sand dunes in the Sahara Desert. Contrary to popular belief, only 30% of the Sahara Desert is sand.
Amy Palmiero-Winters shows wounds from her prosthetic leg to the people in her tent after finishing day three of the Marathon des Sables. The intense terrain put incredible strain on Amy's body and prosthetic leg.
In addition to carrying all their own food, the participants in the Marathon des Sables are not allowed to shower during the entirety of the race. Here, Amy washes her face and back after finishing day three.
Amy runs through a dune in the desert.
Amy talks with fellow marathon participants of the Marathon des Sables before starting day four of the race, which is 47.4 miles long and to be completed within thirty-one hours.
Amy high-fives children watching the Marathon des Sables in the town of Jdiad.
Marathon participants attach light sticks to their backpacks during the overnight stages of the Marathon des Sables
Amy talks to a doctor at a checkpoint during the overnight stages of the Marathon des Sables.
Marathon participants walk up a mountain on the race's final day.
: Amy Palmiero-Winters passes the finish line of the final day of the Marathon des Sables. Palmiero-Winters is the first woman amputee to finish the Marathon des Sables in its thirty-four year history.
Sore and tired, Amy walks through bivouac after she finished the final day of the Marathon des Sables.
Doctors look at Amy Palmiero-Winters' residual leg after she finished the final day of the Marathon des Sables. Amy said that her body didn't heal for weeks after the race ended.
Amy talks to a fellow runner after she received a special award for being the marathon's first female amputee to ever finish the race.
Amy approaches the fourth of six checkpoints during the marathon's longest stage, which is nearly 50 miles by itself.