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BOUNTIFUL — A Bountiful woman who was hit by a car as a toddler will complete a life-long dream this weekend as she competes in the Miami Marathon using a hand cycle.
Rebecca Goeckeritz is a determined woman, whether she's in a gym or on the road.
"My parents never discouraged me from trying anything," she said.
When she was 15 months old, Rebecca was outside with her mother and sister when a car backed over her.
"As (her mother) was moving the hose," Rebecca said, "she heard a car start up in the background and she looked to see if my sister and I were with her. She saw that I wasn't, so she ran to the front of the house and it was too late. I had been hit by the car."
The accident caused Rebecca to be paralyzed from the waist down. But growing up with that didn't stop her from doing the things she wanted to, like riding a Big Wheel, using only her hands.
Rebecca said, "My dad took off the handles so they wouldn't hit my chin."
Over the years Rebecca has accomplished many goals. She's a violinist with the Temple Square Orchestra, and she's a motivational speaker. Then last year a new goal emerged after her husband gave her a hand cycle.
"The thought came into my mind, why don't you try a marathon?" she said.
Rebecca began blogging about her training through FitStudio. Through that blog, Sears heard about her goal and wanted to help. In December, the company fitted her with a top-of-the-line hand cycle.
"When it came it was so exciting because my other bike had seven speeds and this one has 27 speeds. It's a huge difference," she explained.
Rebecca trains in the mornings, the evenings, when it's snowing, whenever she can find a free minute. By the time she reaches the starting line at the marathon on Saturday, she will have had only had 10 weeks to prepare. But she says she's ready.
She says she set a goal and is ready to reach it. "If you have a challenge, whatever is standing in your way, I really believe you can take apart those barriers and reach the goals and dreams that you have," she said.
Rebecca's story has inspired those who organized the Miami Marathon. She is a featured competitor this year and is being recognized by the organization today at a press event.
