18-Year-Old Caitlin Adams Runs 410 Miles Across Maryland To Raise Money For Prosthetic Limbs

This 18-Year-Old Just Ran Across The Entire State Of Maryland

What are you doing this summer?

Whatever your plans are, they're likely less ambitious than those of 18-year-old Caitlin Adams, who just finished a 410-mile run across the state of Maryland, according to a Baltimore news station.

And she didn't do it just for fun (shocker -- who wouldn't run over 400 miles just for sheer pleasure?). Caitlin, a Towson University sophomore, says she did the run in order to raise money for and awareness for prosthetic limbs, benefitting an organization called Limbs for Life.

About her inspiration for the run, Caitlin said to a Towson University publication:

"When I was a junior in high school, the word prosthetics kept repeating itself over and over in my mind...I had no idea what the word meant. I looked it up in a dictionary and learned it was an artificial limb. It coincided with when I first started to run track and it hit me how much of a blessing it is to have two legs. I've since met people who need artificial limbs and have talked with them. I want to do something to make a difference and help make someone else's life better. So I decided to use my running ability to be able to do that."

The run was initially supposed to be 390 miles long, but according to a post on Caitlin's Instagram account, she took a few detours and ended up running over 400 miles in just a little over a month.

Through her fundraising page, Caitlin has now raised over $22,000 since she announced her plan to run back in January on Facebook. The money she raised funded eight prosthetic limbs for individuals with disabilities. Caitlin met up with several recipients of prosthetics along her run and ran alongside them, presumably to gain insight into their experiences with physical disabilities.

Caitlin admitted in an interview that there were quite a few skeptics who doubted her ability to cross the state on foot.

“So many people didn't believe in me, but you just have to use that as motivation,” Caitlin said.

Any doubters are awfully quiet as of Saturday, when she crossed her finish line in Ocean City, MD. Way to go, Caitlin!

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