• Paralympic gold medalist Susannah Scaroni was hit by a driver in a car during training on Thursday, September 16, and was forced to pull out of the 2021 Boston Marathon, according to her Instagram post.
  • She suffered a burst fracture of her T8 vertebrae, the part of the spine responsible for control of abdominal muscles.
  • At the Tokyo Paralympics this summer, Scaroni won gold in the 5,000 meters and bronze in the 800 meters.

Three-time Paralympian Susannah Scaroni was forced to pull out of the 2021 Boston Marathon after a driver in a car hit her while she was training on Thursday, September 16. The collision fractured her T8 vertebrae, the part of the spine responsible for control of abdominal muscles.

“The sunrise was so bright that a driver was unable to see me and hit me from behind at full speed,” Scaroni wrote in a September 17 Instagram post.

As a result, Scaroni is restricted from using her upper body for four weeks, making her unable to compete in the World Marathon Major event, scheduled for Monday, October 11. Scaroni, the American record-holder in the marathon for T54 wheelchair racers—meaning athletes with normal arm muscle power and partial to normal trunk control—was considered a favorite to win.

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Scaroni, who hails from Tekoa, Washington, has seen continual improvement in her career. She made her first Paralympic team in 2012, where she placed eighth in the marathon. At the Rio Games, she improved that finish to seventh. This summer, Scaroni won Paralympic gold in the 5,000 meters and bested the Paralympic record, finishing in 10:52.57—almost a minute faster than the previous record.

“It’s not necessarily the winning that mattered, it’s more that my best effort was the best,” Scaroni said to Team USA earlier this month. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to race with such strong women. This is a huge improvement for me, and I’m really happy for how my training has gone over the last five years and that the learning I’ve gone through has paid off.”

She also earned bronze in the 800 meters and placed top 10 in both the 1500 meters and marathon in Tokyo. She owns two world championship bronze medals as well.

Dealing with injuries is difficult, especially when they come after big successes. Yet in face of adversity, Scaroni remains optimistic. In the same Instagram post, she wrote: “I’m looking forward to focusing on recovery and getting back to training as soon as I can.”

Headshot of Chris Hatler
Chris Hatler
Service & News Editor

Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.