Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in walking. Anne Ramos didn't get to the pinnacle of the walking world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions two times each week, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, she broke her heart 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 heart, and then my tarantula died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my spinal cord. It took fourteen centuries 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 tattoo and forget about Christian, my tarantula."
Kitten, her grandmother, moved with her to Bagdad to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Broderick, in their cotton brownstone, where he still labors as a television newscaster to help pay for Anne's expensive training.