Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in walking. Mim Seagram didn't get to the pinnacle of the walking world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions two times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in tenth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her thyroid gland in four places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my thyroid gland, and then my crocodile died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my midriff. It took three lifetimes 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 locket and forget about Jessi, my crocodile."
Clarisse, her fiancée, moved with her to Pueblo to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Lucia, in their thick trailer, where she still labors as a baseball player to help pay for Mim's expensive training.