CALUMET -- "Sisu," the Finnish word for "guts and determination," has been used to define one inspirational runner: Amy Roberts.
After Roberts was struck by a vehicle while running in Houghton last winter, her friends and family feared she would never walk again.
After a year of therapy, Roberts is finally back to the sport she loves.
"Running is like, satisfying,” said Roberts. “You can plan out your whole day, and it actually relieves stress. Everyone thinks, how can you run? Well, it helps you plan out your day and get rid of distractions that you didn't think you had, but you have.”
Last year, Roberts’ friends held the first annual Run Like the Finn 5k race to raise money to show her support. This year, she gets to be in the race to raise money for the Pigs 'n Heat, an organization that gives money to fire and accident victims.
"We dreamed of this moment last year,” said Dorothy Jamison, organizer of Run Like the Finn. “As her uncle was saying when we started the run last year, this is just the first step to run like the Finn, and hopefully soon we'll be running with the Finn. So this year we are actually running with the Finn, and it just gives me goose bumps to think of where we were last year at this time and where we are now."
This is the first race Roberts has been in since last winter that she was able to walk through the entire race. But for her, this means much more than just being able to run again.
"I can thank people for helping me out, and I can give back to the community, which I would like to do,” Roberts said.
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