When marathon enthusiast Jamie Shinneman prepares for his extensive runs, his routine includes devouring a carb-rich breakfast, lacing up his shoes, and embarking with a companion most runners don’t typically have — his very own teammate.
In the streets of Noblesville, Indiana, the 53-year-old conquers training runs that stretch up to 20 miles by pushing his wife, Amy Shinneman, in a three-wheeled racing chair, lovingly referred to as their “duo bike.”
Jamie embodies the power, while Amy provides direction. As part of their “Duo Team,” this pair of high school sweethearts has proudly crossed the finish lines of four marathons since 2019. This accomplishment is significant for any runner, but it holds a special weight for Amy, who has never had the opportunity to run independently.
“My duo partner helps me to glimpse beyond the limits I sometimes place on myself,” Amy shared. “And I think that’s a valuable lesson.”
Amy’s life has been shaped by a neuromuscular condition, which in 2018 was formally identified as Bethlem myopathy. This rare type of muscular dystrophy brings about increasing muscle weakness and impacts her mobility.
Today, at 52, Amy mostly uses a wheelchair to get around. But on the marathon course, that wheelchair has become a path to freedom.
“She’s seeing parts of the world she’s never seen before on a trail,” Jamie said. “It just filled me, inspired me to keep pushing and just be with her more and more.”
The Shinnemans
Amy said she was initially reluctant to Jamie’s suggestion of putting a pause on his solo running career in 2019 to race as a pair instead, an idea inspired by a race wheelchair they saw at the Boston Marathon Expo that year.
Jamie was eight years into his running journey at the time and was fast enough to qualify for the prestigious Boston Marathon not just once, but 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 said.
For Amy, being a spectator was familiar. Being an athlete — and having people cheer for her — was something she never imagined for herself.
“So I think that was kind of part of it too,” she said. “Just even, wrapping my brain around that I could be someone that other people are cheering on at a sporting event.”
Now, the cheers only get louder for the Shinnemans at each race, as they chase their dream of conquering all eight Abbott World Marathon Majors, the premier series of marathon races.
They’ve already completed Berlin, Boston, Chicago and New York. Next up is the 2026 Sydney Marathon on Aug. 30, leaving three more — London, Tokyo and Cape Town — to meet their goal. The reward, they say, will be much more than the 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 said. “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 hope their story can help other people with disabilities see what’s possible for themselves, too. That mission helped inspire the name of their team and nonprofit, 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.”
To honor their fifth World Marathon Major in Sydney, the duo has set a goal of raising $26,000 for their nonprofit. Ten percent will be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, while the remainder will be used to purchase a racing wheelchair for a Duo Team that otherwise couldn’t afford one.
What started as a joint adventure has become something much greater than 26.2 miles — a journey defined not by pace or personal bests, but by purpose.
“I hope, and Amy hopes, to inspire other people to use their God-given gifts, get out there — just help encourage each other,” Jamie said. “Be humbly courageous to do something maybe you didn’t think that you could do.”