Meet Beth! An avid runner living with multiple sclerosis who’s kicking off her first May 50K challenge with a half marathon!
Beth was diagnosed with MS in 2017 after a competitive game of frisbee turned baseball with friends resulted in splitting her head open and a hospital visit where she ended up with six stitches. Over the next month, she started losing vision in my right eye, which rapidly worsened until she became colourblind in one eye with diminished depth perception. What she initially thought was severe head trauma turned out to be the first sign of MS—optic neuritis.
Receiving the news was shocking.
“I don’t think anything can prepare you for the doctor informing you of your diagnosis, even if you see it coming. In seconds, I went from a healthy 24-year-old to someone with a
lifelong illness. It was a lot to process, but after overcoming the initial shock and grieving for my younger, healthier self, I emerged ready to conquer goals.”
In 2021, Beth started to run. It was originally a step challenge with her friend that got her hooked.
“I knew the only way I could win was by getting more steps in before work, so running it was!”
Mixing running with MS does have its own unique challenges. Early in her running journey, Beth discovered she had drop-foot, which isn’t ideal for running. Despite being initially told
she wouldn’t ever be able to run more than 5 kms due to her drop-foot, Beth has completed 5kms, 10kms, and even a half marathon!
“While MS has undoubtedly impacted my life negatively, it has also transformed me into a strong, healthy, and resilient individual ready to tackle any challenge. I never imagined I would be someone running long distances, but here I am, not just smashing goals but doing so with an underlying autoimmune disease.”
Beth is so excited to take on her first year of The May 50k and see how many KMs she can track throughout the month. Running has made Beth a stronger person and improved her MS symptoms, which she shares with her 5,500 followers on Instagram, @msbeth_runner. She is looking forward to connecting with her followers with MS throughout the month and spreading awareness about MS research.
“Clinical research is so important because I always look for studies when trying to make big decisions about MS, and sometimes it can be hard to find good studies about specific topics”
