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Race personnel and bystanders try to catch Assman after she falls off a cliff during the race at 12:50 p.m. (Courtesy Carol Griswold / July 11, 2012) |
Autumn Ludwig looked up the mountain and saw Penny Assman falling.
Instead of running from the woman hurtle 15 feet toward, Ludwig braced for impact and tried to break Assman’s fall.
Assman feel 15 feet off Mount Marathon during the famously difficult Mount Marathon race this past Fourth of July.
She ended up in the hospital for five days because of her injuries.
This past week Ludwig, a volunteer fire fighter and EMT with the Bear Creek Fire Service Area, was awarded the State of Alaska 2012 Firefighter of the Year award. She’s believed to be the first woman to win the award.
Ludwig just got back into Seward after visiting Assman in Utah where she is a pilot with the Utah National Guard.
"It was emotional, we both got a little teary," Ludwig said, "it was nice to see she had completely healed and she was able to fly and be in the active lifestyle that she had. It pulled at my heart strings."
Contact Rebecca Palsha
