ESPN Video - Amazing Running Story

Multiple sclerosis causes your immune system to be falsely triggered, which results in the white blood cells (T-Cells) to eat away at the myelin sheathes that are located in your central nervous system. This myelin coats the nerve fibers involved in sending information to and from the brain. Think of it as a garden hose with the water being information. If you rip a bunch of holes in the hose, the water won't be able to reach the proper destination.

My father ran for a good high school, collegiality and as post-collegiate in the 1970-80s. He still ran until the early 1990s when he was diagnosed with MS. Within the year he was diagnosed he went from marathon runner to having complete paralysis on his left side. He had to learn to walk, eat, and do the simple tasks every normal person can do. 20 years later he can walk slowly with a limp, but the summer is always the worst time as temperatures rise and his symptoms flare up.

Enough damage done to your nervous system can lead to symptoms ranging from vision problems, problems with coordination, and even paralysis. While she runs her core temperature increases, along with the amount of information being sent from the brain to the rest of the body. The symptoms of MS are effected more in the heat, so as the internal temperature gets warmer the more severe the reaction. Her coordination at the end of races is the problem; she can't stop on a dime due to her not being able to feel the lower half of her body. If you've ever sat in an odd position and stood up only to find your foot/leg is asleep, imagine not the pins and needles feeling, but not being able to feel anything from the waist down. I imagine her issues go along with the fact that she is finishing a race. She is very elite and running very quick, and it's not uncommon to see someone collapse at the end of the race even if they are very healthy. It's remarkable and courageous that she is able to compete at the level she is at dealing with her situation.

curiouswondering wrote:

great story, but does this happen everyday or just race day?

I was wondering the same thing. What happens at the end of every day training runs? Wouldn't her core temperature increase then as well, leading to the same symptoms? How does she finish up regular runs, intervals, tempos, etc.? Does someone have to be there at the end on every run to catch her and help her out?

Nevertheless, this was one if the gutsiest running-related stories I've seen in a while. Makes you realize to not take your own running, or general well-being for granted, as there are others out there dealing with tough issues like this. My wife has been a neurological PT for 25 years and has interacted with many MS patients. I know from her, what a tough affliction this is. Best of luck to her in all her athletic and non-athletic endeavors.

Kayla, now running for Lipscomb, placed 57th in the D1 South Regionals

http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/251716-D1-South-XC-Regionals-2014/article/27654-RESULTS-D1-South-XC-Regionals

Amazed and Awed wrote:

Kayla Montgomery

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11909407

I absolutely love the story and have since I first read /watched it a full year ago. Why is this just now being brought up again? Not complaining… just genuinely confused.

162430 wrote:

Amazed and Awed wrote:

Kayla Montgomery

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11909407

I absolutely love the story and have since I first read /watched it a full year ago. Why is this just now being brought up again? Not complaining… just genuinely confused.

Nevermind, I clicked the link and figured it out. ESPN is just now running the story. I thought EVERYONE in the running community had already heard about this, but apparently not.

I also did not fully understand the post-race drama (especially because you'd know the discomfort and help was coming). I know people who've finish races with fractured legs with almost complete stoicism. Also, if it happens after a lot of races, why don't you have water ready??? But then again, maybe I'm missing something.

In the video, she says that she tries not to make a scene at the end of a race, but she thinks she ends up making a scene anyway (which seems true, from the finishes they show). I am guessing that it is a really scary feeling to not be able to control her body in any way, and that even though it has happened dozens of times before, in the moment it is still terrifying and she wants to have control again over as soon as possible.

[quote] Does anyone know the medical reasons why it's possible for her to stay on her feet during the race and suddenly not be able to when she finishes? I understand she can't feel her legs during the final stages of the race, but I don't understand how the way the disease works makes her unable to stay on her feet once she stops ... difficult, maybe, but ...[quote]

The problem, as her coach points out in the video, is that since she can't feel her legs, she can't decelerate gracefully. She could maybe keep running through the finish line at the same pace as during the race, but at the end, she wants to stop running, and she does not have the ability to make that happen.

She went to my rival high school and we would see her at practices. On normal runs she can't really stop during them. And when she finishes she normally just run to a tree and a fence to keep her from falling because she doesn't get to over heated on runs just her feet get numbed away. And I have heard during workout other members of the team typically have to catch her.

Dont forget the coach is wearing a wireless mic to capture the audio for the video. She probably not making as big a fuss as you think.

Amazing video and great story.