As she zips up her jacket, Kingsville's Kay Vinton takes a run around the outside of her house. Then, she will run in circles as she is babysitting today for a friend.
This former elementary school teacher in Harford County is now a librarian at Trinity Church Day School. She could write her own book, albeit with a dark chapter.
Kay, her husband Pete, and five children were coming back home from an Irish dance competition in Nashville. Right as they crossed over from West Virginia, a car crossed the line and struck Kay and her family head-on. She crawled out of the wreckage, wondering if her family was dead.
What followed was truly amazing—first, a paramedic. Then, there was a nurse who held her husband's hand. Then, a firefighter pulled her children out of the car. Then, there was a police officer who blocked the road.
It was rainy this July night in 2003, so Medivac was not flying. There was a race to the hospital. They all made it.
A grueling rehab would follow, and Kay, who was a runner, was told running would be no more. Told she would have to be in a wheelchair for months, she said, "I have five little children; I can't."
That was the only time she used the word can't. Jim, her therapist, said, "You can try running again." Kay had already run a few marathons, one in Disney and Baltimore's first-ever marathon.
Amazingly, after 15 months of being told she would never run again, Kay finished another Baltimore Marathon. She said, "Since the accident, I have to prove that I can still do this."
Two weeks ago, Kay Vinton finished the marathon in Hawaii. 50 marathons in 50 states!!!!
