HICKSVILLE, N.Y (July 15, 2010) -- Amy Palmiero-Winters -- a below-the-knee amputee, world-class ultramarathon runner, coach, mentor and single mother of two -- was awarded a prestigious ESPY Award in the category of Best Female Athlete with a Disability at a ceremony last night in Los Angeles which was televised on ESPN.

The ESPY is the latest achievement in what has already been a remarkable year for Palmiero-Winters, who was chosen to be on Team USA at the IAU Ultrarunning World Championships in Brive, France, and was selected as the winner of the 2010 AAU Sullivan Award as America''s top amateur athlete. She also became the first amputee to complete a 100-mile trail run when she competed in the elite Western States 100 endurance run.

Palmiero-Winters finished among the top 20 female athletes -- all able-bodied -- in the 24 Hour Run World Championship in Brive, France on May 14. Palmiero-Winters ran almost 124 miles in the endurance race, finishing 19th in the women’s field out of seventy-eight competitors after overcoming initial mechanical challenges with her prosthetic running leg as well as stomach problems and a grueling race course featuring tight turns and varied terrain. Palmiero-Winters, a member of Team USA, was the first athlete with a disability to ever qualify for an able-bodied national running team.

In addition to her running achievements, she volunteers her time coaching and motivating children with disabilities. She is the full-time director of Team A Step Ahead, a nationwide sports team of adults and children with limb loss sponsored by A Step Ahead Prosthetics and Orthotics.

"This is another incredible recognition of Amy''s unprecedented accomplishments as an athlete and an inspiration for all competitors," said Erik Schaffer, founder and president of A Step Ahead, which sponsors Amy as a member of Team A Step Ahead.