The latest edition of the New York City Marathon made headlines for many reasons including one for the number of participants. A total of 148 countries participated, with the race reaching a whooping 51,402 to cross the finish line. The official website took a while before publishing a list of the champions who came from different categories. Many found motivation with the lists itself. But for someone like Kayleigh Thompson, the race brought out a whole new meaning.?

Kayleigh and her mother, Sandy Williamson, were the ones who participated in the Duo team category of the 2023 NYC Marathon. The pair did not make it to the top 9 finishers in the Duo Team. Kayleigh, with her mother Sandy, crossed the finish line in 10 hours and 9 minutes. However, that might be short of registering the win on the official list. But that propelled hopes and motivations for very cornered reasons. Recently, Sandy expressed her entire journey with Kayleigh being an inevitable one. The valorous journey of the duo fell nothing short of being a beacon of hope.?

Sandy opens up about the journey of participating in the NYC Marathon?

The journey by Sandy and Kayleigh Williamson was bound to be one of a kind. But, the backend story seemed to be more than a riveting piece. In the latest meet-up with Hoda and Jeena, Sandy shed light on her contributions in the glory. Speaking on this, Sandy explained her mother’s wishes and what she was doing to make those wishes real. Being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Sandy’s mother used to show the indications of the disease. She explained the situation in her words, “my mom used to think that she escaped from the nursing home and she got to go sit in the California at the beach. And Detroit, Mississippi, all those different places.”. Later, she added what she did to fulfill those wishes. She also said in the meet-up, “… the best way I could help Kayleigh and mom was to take those temporary memories and turn them into permanent ones. So we would find a race wherever mom thought she escaped to.”?

Meanwhile, Kayleigh has become one of the first participants who has finished the NYC Marathon with Down Syndrome. Kayleigh has achieved this rare feat in the 2023 edition of the race. Austin Marathon gave her the crown of the first individual to cross the marathon with Down Syndrome. However, the NYC half marathon also stayed in the book as a witness to Kayleigh?s performance. However, behind all these happenings, the champion has not forgotten to thank her mommy for what she has done.???

The experience of running at the New York City Marathon with Kayleigh

The journey of running into the life of Williamson’s duo started to keep Kayleigh’s fitness high. Her mother, Sandy, was well aware of the fact of Down Syndrome turning into Alzheimer’s. She banked on the predicaments she received from her mother’s situation. Soon, the running experience turned into a fun one. This was reflected in their final lap of running in the NYC Marathon 2023. Kayleigh went into awe at the moment and started dancing well before the finishing line. Later, she crossed the final step, but on the way, she owned the moment.?

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For this, Tina Muir, a friend of Kayleigh, responded to Runnersworld saying Kayleigh wants to fill the free in a way that very few women can hold. Tina added her experience of running with the duo in the Boston Marathon. In that race, she felt that Kayleigh wanted to take part in the NYC Marathon to pay tribute to her grandma. In that race, Kayleigh just did not reach the finish line, just to save her fitness for the NYC Marathon day. And, as they say, the rest is history.?

Surely, the pair’s achievements will carve their names in the history of motivation and recovery from Down Syndrome.?

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