Diane suffered an hour long seizure at only 16 months old due to an awful virus that left her body in a dangerously fevered state. However, the rest of her childhood was healthy and seizure free. For the next 20 years she found athletics came easily to her. She became a professional tennis player directly out of high school after dabbling in multiple sports and finding national success in each.
While on the professional tennis tour she started having weird neurological feelings in her brain that she couldn't explain and no one understood. By the time she was pregnant with her third child, she had a grand mal seizure that was unexplainable.
After multiple tests and finally an MRI, the professional athlete and mother of 3, found she had epilepsy, caused by the scaring on her brain, left by her first seizure at 16 months old.
For the next 10 years, Diane juggled motherhood, speaking engagements, and of course her professional tour. But it became dangerous. She couldn't drive, ski, cook, swim, or take a bath without the fear of having a seizure. No medication alleviated the 3-4 grand mal seizures a week. She felt helpless asking her 6 year old child to look after her in the bathtub and even taught her kids how to drive in case she seizured behind the wheel.
After a decade of fighting, she decided a radical brain surgery was her only choice. After having a kiwi sized chunk of her brain removed, she was free of epilepsy, but it wasn't without consequence. She struggles with the ability to read and understand complex directions and maps. Diane becomes severely overloaded and exhausted by too much stimulation. Her short term memory is questionable at best. Most of all, she can't keep track of time.
Running freed her from the stresses of over-stimulation. She zones out completely and finds a comfortable rhythm in her breathing and pace. Arctic races ranging between 100-430 miles long in -60 weather gave her ironic peace. She listened to the wind as waves over the frozen tundra and while everyone dropped out suffering injury, exhaustion, and frostbite, she prevailed.
Diane ran 1,000 miles across the state of North Carolina in 22 days, 5 hours and 3 minutes, to bring attention to the Mountains to Sea Trail. She ran through 5 foot deep water, a tornado, ticks, a tropical storm, and endless blisters under her feet. During the expedition she averaged 50 miles a day, and rested only for a few hours a time.
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| Finishing her 1,000 mile run across North Carolina |
I hope someday to run an ultra. Not the awesome distances that she covers, more like a 50K. A marathon still seems like a large chunk of land to cross in one day. I also don't plan to run in sub zero temperatures, or through torrential rains. I am not fearless nor as strong.
While Diane's achievements left me insecure about my small goals, she runs a marathon everyday for training, I took a lot away from her indomitable spirit.
First of all, Diane found the fountain of youth. She just turned 54 years old and I didn't think her face looked older than 40. Her body is rock solid and appeared to be as fit as a 30 year old. Honestly, I expected her to look wrecked. After running thousands of miles, she should look gaunt, lacking fingers or toes, wind burned on the cheeks, something. But she looks amazing and most of all, she radiated happiness. Through her journey she found peace.
While she prepares for a race or expedition, she looks only at the start and finish lines. Her brain can't handle all the information in between. Even when she is very close to the finish line, she doesn't think about it being over until she crosses. Anything can happen, even at the end of the race, so when she feels she is almost done, she buckles down even harder, tightens up her stride and finishes strong.
Finally, where Diane finds satisfaction is not in winning. Of course that accomplishment feels good, but all of her stories were about the journey and who she met along the way. How countless teams of people planned her routes, laid stones along the paths so she wouldn't get lost, navigated for her, helped her laugh through the suffering, partied at her bedside when she couldn't stand upright. Her eyes radiated her connection with the people. She said that's what it is all about. Running brings people together. It unifies their spirits in a common goal.
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| Diane's strategical team in North Carolina. |
I wasn't inspired to run long distances beyond maybe 30 miles. That looks painful, cold, and lonely. I wasn't inspired to leave my family for months at a time to run the world. I would miss my kids and my husband and talking to my parents and friends. I need my community and I know my body was not built like Diane van Deren's. She was made of a thread much stronger than mine. But I do hope to continue to strive for that peace she emitted. I want to find a purity in the sport that leaves me feeling accomplished and balanced as a person. I hope to meet people along the way and immerse myself deeper in the running community. Finally, I want to run throughout my life. The gains I make now, should provide the stem of future goals.
Have you met one of your heroes?
What did you take away from their story?
How has the running community changed you?
~Roadburner
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