First Little Person To Finish Boston Marathon Launched Her Passion for Running at Perimeter School

Juli Windsor, the first little person to finish the Boston Marathon, developed her passion for running in Johns Creek, Ga. at Perimeter School.

People with dwarfism disorder run greater risks for injury in high impact sports due to the way their bones and joints develop.  Despite warnings from medical professionals, 15 year old Windsor was determined to join Perimeter’s track team in 2001. Track coach, Jay Varner, supported her dream.

During Windsor’s time at Perimeter the track team broke every record in the school’s history. Windsor ran with the best. When she first joined, she says she mentally accepted that she would not place at track meets. She sought to enjoy the sport and the time with her friends. As she practiced, she began to learn to control the rhythm of her legs and slowly improved beyond her expectations.  Windsor recalled the first time she beat another runner and states, “It was then that my competitive spirit kicked in.” It was then, at age 15, she declared her aspiration to run the Boston Marathon.
 
Windsor remembers the morning Varner sent her team on a long run and yelled out, “Don’t forget to enjoy the flowers”. She stopped on that run, picked flowers, and brought them back to Varner - a memory he still treasures. Windsor says, “Coach Varner taught me to see running as a way to enjoy God’s creation. I still practice this enjoyment each time I train and during my marathons.”

In 2013, Windsor was a half a mile from the finish line of the Boston Marathon when two pressure cooker bombs went off killing three and injuring an estimated 264 others. Shortly after the event, Windsor was asked if she would attempt the marathon again. Her somber response was “Absolutely.”

Featured in Runners World, Sports Illustrated, the Boston Globe and more, Windsor has developed quite the platform to speak out about overcoming obstacles, staring down the threat of defeat, and using your gifts to their fullest potential. She thanks Perimeter School for being there from “start” to “finish” of her dream.

Perimeter School views children as unique individuals. Teachers make it a practice to help students identify their God-given gifts, unwrap them, and use them to their full potential. Windsor says,“When you discover your gifts and pursue them, you come to know God in a more intimate way.”