NEW YORK — Austinite Kayleigh Williamson just became one of the first women with Down syndrome to run the TCS New York City Marathon.
On Sunday, the marathon posted a video on Instagram of Williamson crossing the finish line with tears streaming down her face. The post has nearly 400,000 likes and thousands of comments, with people calling Williamson "incredible," "strong" and "fearless."
This isn't Williamson's first major accomplishment either.
Back in 2022, she became the first-ever person with Down syndrome to finish the Austin Marathon. KVUE chronicled her journey leading up to the big race.
A month later, the City of Austin honored Williamson by proclaiming Feb. 20 "Kayleigh Williamson Day" in Austin.
In June 2022, KVUE reported that Williamson would become the second person with a cognitive disability to participate in the Boston Marathon in April 2023.
Williamson also participated in the Ascension Seton Half Marathon in Austin earlier this year.
In addition to her running success, Williamson has also been a model for Adidas and has written and released a children's book.