Beginning August 18, Dawn Kumlien of the North Hills will run five marathons in five days from Youngstown, Ohio to Clearfield, Pennsylvania as a part of the MS Run the USrelay. After Dawn’s mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1980, her sister ran relays to raise money for research. Now Dawn is taking advantage of her own opportunity to raise money for MS. She says she expects to raise at least $10,000 by the end of the run.
“When you watch someone go through a disease where they’re never going to be able to run again, it doesn’t seem that hard to put yourself through a little mental and physical pain for a few days,” says Kumlien.
In preparation for the multiple marathons, Kumlien has significantly changed her diet, cutting out all sugars especially soda pop. She’s also been training for the long relay by running 8 to 17 miles each day. Kumlien has never run a full 26.2 mile marathon, but she has run 22 miles. She decided to save her first official marathon for the relay so her parents can attend. In preparation for the event, she plans on rotating through three different pairs of shoes and duct taping her feet to prevent blisters. Kumlien says she’s confident she will be able to complete the relay.
“I will finish this. I’m going to get there.”
