I had a front-row seat to witness and meet a wide array of notable sports figures in my career as a sports reporter. Now retired, I can easily say who my all-time favorite athlete is: my wife, Megan.
We met as runners and ran more than 2,000 miles side by side as training partners for eight marathons (26.2 miles) and more half-marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks than we can count.
Megan earned standing among the faster female runners in the Baltimore area. She has boxes of trophies and plaques that she was awarded for her top finishes in local races. She isn’t boastful and she doesn’t dwell on her athletic accomplishments. The trophies are hidden away in a box in the basement, tokens of the past.
My wife doesn’t run anymore. She’d love to, but she can’t. While in peak condition and setting personal best records from 2019 to 2022, Megan fainted and collapsed under unexplained circumstances during runs. The episodes were frightening as on four occasions she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. During one ambulance transport, emergency medical technicians had to use defibrillator paddles to deliver an electric shock to her heart to restore a sustainable rhythm.
After months of cardiac examinations, Megan was diagnosed with an exercise-induced heart arrhythmia. Doctors implanted a defibrillator in her chest, and she takes daily medicine to help regulate her heartbeat. Like the trophies in the basement, she’s had to put away her passion for running. Three years removed from her sport, she’s found increased clarity in the search for why.
“I’ve felt God’s hand in my situation throughout, even when I wasn’t sure what was happening to my body,” she said. “I was saved by running friends or good Samaritans who found me unconscious when I collapsed. Each time, they were there to call an ambulance. I could have died, but I lived. That shows me that God had a plan in all of this, and he wanted me to continue on.”
Megan’s appreciation for life is fueled by her calling as the mother of our two boys, 9-year-old Michael and 7-year-old Christian. They are daily reminders of the joys and duties of a blessed life.
Among Megan’s notable racing accomplishments is her victory in the 2019 Maryland Half Marathon, finishing first among all females. She won that race one year after the birth of Christian. No longer able to run, Megan said she looks back not with sadness, but with gratitude.
When I asked her about sharing her story, Megan was reluctant, saying she wouldn’t want to come across as “woe is me” when so many others have health issues much worse than hers.
In the transition from her racing days, Megan answered an invitation to join a women’s Bible study and discussion group at our church, St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park. The nationwide women’s group is fittingly called “Walking with Purpose.”
“Our meetings focus on the priority of loving God and overcoming all the things we may be putting ahead of our love for God,” she said. “When I was running and training, I put that ahead of a lot of things. When I stopped running, I found space in my heart for the more important things.”
Megan approaches life more carefully and slowly, with deeper appreciation and stronger faith. She used to listen to podcasts about running and fitness, but now it’s Scripture readings and reflections during daily walks through our neighborhood.
Megan is now truly walking with purpose. As her former running partner, I’ve joined her. I don’t run much anymore. I’d rather go at Megan’s pace, and I thank God every day for the blessing of being able to walk beside her.
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