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Cancer survivor with cerebral palsy to compete in 13-mile race Cancer survivor with cerebral palsy to compete in 13.1-mile Winston-Salem race

Winston-Salem Journal - 12/2/2017

Among the throngs of tired runners and an abundance of weary legs, it will be the arms of Steph Hammerman that will take a beating in Saturday's Mistletoe Half Marathon.

Hammerman, who has cerebral palsy, will compete in the 13.1-mile race near and to the north downtown Winston-Salem as a handcyclist - the first in the race's 34-year history.

"My biggest inspiration is the people who don't think I can do something or question my capability," said Hammerman, who will be 28 in January. "If you tell me I can't, I'll show you I can."

Hammerman, who was born three months premature and received a diagnosis of cerebral palsy soon after, hasn't let living with a wheelchair and crutches slow her down.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects body movement, muscle coordination and balance, sometimes characterized by exaggerated reflexes or involuntary motions.

"Basically messages from my brain to the rest of my body don't always send as quickly as I'd like them to, especially in my legs," Hammerman said. "But for me, it's my normal, so I don't stay idle."

Life with cerebral palsy has had its share of challenges, like delayed learning of how to put on her shoes until age 11, she said.

But now the seasoned athlete has 14 races under her belt, including several full marathons. She completes the races on a bike that has hand pedals.

Hammerman is also the world's first Level 2-certified CrossFit trainer with cerebral palsy, she said.

"When I was 16, I lost one of my best friends to an aneurysm and that shook my world upside-down," said Hammerman, a coach at CrossFit Goliath in Raleigh. "He lived by the mantra that failure is not an option, and I've never forgotten that."

For Hammerman, Saturday's upcoming race is extra special as a celebration of being one year cancer-free.

It will be her first race in nearly three years after being given a diagnosis of stage 3 lymphoma in early 2016.

Doctors were awed by her resilience and mental fortitude after predicting many complications in association with her cerebral palsy.

"When I got sick, everything came to a halt, but I didn't really have time for cancer," she said. "The doctors said they had never seen anything like me before. There should have been complications, but little by little I got better."

Hammerman's passion for fitness grew in college when she saw handcyclists competing in a 10K race and decided to give it a try. In 2011, she finished her first marathon in 4 hours, 34 minutes.

Saturday's half-marathon, which winds through the autumn backdrop of Buena Vista and Wake Forest University, presents new challenges for her as a hilly course with a long incline at the start.

Hammerman said she hopes to complete the race in about two hours. Her boyfriend, Tyler Roach, will also compete.

Race director Erin Craver said that "Steph is an inspiration for me and other runners because she proves you can break barriers and overcome limitations.

"This race is a celebration. If she can do it, we can, too."

jdrabble@wsjournal.com 336-727-7204