The Youth Panorama

An aspiring half-marathon runner in Minnesota attributed her unbearable back pain to a two-hour training session. A day later, she was cradling a newborn. Trish Staine, 33, says she had no idea she was pregnant before Monday's surprise birth. The Duluth mother of three said she hadn't gained any weight or felt fetal movement in the months before. And besides, her husband had a vasectomy. "I said 'no, no, that's impossible,' " Staine said Wednesday from her Duluth hospital room. "I definitely thought I was done having kids," she joked. Staine and her husband, John, have a daughter, 7, and a son, 11. She's also stepmother to John's three boys, ages 17, 19 and 20. Staine said she ran for about two hours Sunday in preparation for the Garry Bjorklund half-marathon on June 22. "I had a sore back Sunday evening. I had taken a hot shower and was dealing with it," Staine said. "Monday morning, I woke up and had more back...

In 2011, 26-year-old Arunima Sinha lost one of her legs after she said she was thrown off a moving train when she resisted a group of robbers. On 21 May, she stood on top of the world, defying all conceivable odds, and achieved what was unthinkable to many. "I turned my artificial leg into my strength and stubbornly chose the most difficult sport for myself," says Ms Sinha, a former national-level volleyball player. There are inspiring words from an extraordinary woman. Also, a stunning demonstration of how she turned her supposed weakness into a winning force. "When I reached the summit, I felt like screaming at the top of my voice. I wanted to tell the world: here I am. I have saved that moment inside me," she says. "Actually, my screaming did not last long. You see, I didn't have much energy left. Had I been a painter, I would have tried to capture that image on a canvas," she adds. Darkest hour Just two years ago, Ms Sinha says it was ...