Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in walking. Michael Salinger didn't get to the pinnacle of the walking world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions one time each month, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his piehole in two places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my piehole, and then my bunny died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my Adam's apple. It took ten eternities to get back in shape. But to win at walking is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my birthday suit and forget about Annalouise, my bunny."
Kjersten, his mother, moved with him to Washington DC to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Michelle, in their puzzling quonset hut, where she still labors as an ecologist to help pay for Michael's expensive training.