Running Together: A Story of Partnership and Perseverance

When marathon runner Jamie Shinneman sets out for a long-distance run, he prepares with a carb-rich breakfast and puts on his running shoes. What sets him apart is that he doesn’t run alone. He runs with a teammate. On training runs in Noblesville, Indiana, Jamie, 53, pushes his wife, Amy Shinneman, in a specialized three-wheeled racing wheelchair they call a “duo bike.” Jamie provides the power, and Amy guides the journey. Together, as a “Duo Team,” they have completed four marathons since 2019. This accomplishment holds special meaning, particularly for Amy, who has never run on her own.

“My duo partner helps me to see beyond, sometimes, my limited vision of myself. And I think it’s a good lesson,” Amy said.

Amy was born with a neuromuscular disorder and was officially diagnosed with Bethlem myopathy in 2018. This rare form of muscular dystrophy results in progressive muscle weakness, impacting her mobility. At 52, Amy primarily relies on a wheelchair. However, during marathon events, this wheelchair becomes her vehicle of liberation.

“She’s seeing parts of the world she’s never seen before on a trail,” Jamie stated. “It just filled me, inspired me to keep pushing and just be with her more and more.”

Amy was initially hesitant when Jamie proposed pausing his individual running goals in 2019 to form a racing team together. The idea arose after seeing a race wheelchair at the Boston Marathon Expo that year. At the time, Jamie had been running for eight years, successfully qualifying for the highly regarded Boston Marathon twice.

“Being honest, in the beginning, I really had no interest. I always felt like everywhere I went, I was on display because of the way that I walk. And so my like, first just gut reaction was, ‘no way, no thank you. I’ll enjoy cheering you on, on the sidelines.’ That was the role that I only ever knew how to do,” Amy explained.

For Amy, witnessing events from the sidelines was her usual role. Participating as an athlete with people cheering for her was a new experience.

“So I think that was kind of part of it too,” she reflected. “Just even, wrapping my brain around that I could be someone that other people are cheering on at a sporting event.”

Now, the Shinnemans receive increasing applause at each marathon as they aim to conquer all eight Abbott World Marathon Majors, a leading series of marathon races. They have already completed races in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, and New York. Their next challenge is the 2026 Sydney Marathon on August 30, leaving London, Tokyo, and Cape Town to achieve their ultimate goal. They believe the rewards extend beyond just earning medals.

“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs and doubt because of my disability. But now I’m kind of transforming that… self-doubt into self-belief,” Amy noted. “Each finish line we cross, the more confident I become that I am going to be able to get through this life, living well and still doing exciting things.”

The Shinnemans aspire to inspire others with disabilities to realize their own potentials. This aspiration is reflected in their team and nonprofit name, Team Humbly Courageous.

“The goal of Humbly Courageous is to help encourage people to live life with humble courage,” Jamie said. “They might see a husband and wife Duo Team working together like this and achieving goals that maybe they didn’t think that they could do together.”

In honor of their fifth World Marathon Major in Sydney, the couple plans to raise $26,000 for their nonprofit. Ten percent will contribute to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the rest will help fund a racing wheelchair for an underfunded Duo Team.

This journey started as a shared endeavor and has evolved into something more meaningful than the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. It’s about purpose over speed or records.

“I hope, and Amy hopes, to inspire other people to use their God-given gifts, get out there — just help encourage each other,” Jamie remarked. “Be humbly courageous to do something maybe you didn’t think that you could do.”