Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.

The challenge: 50 marathons in 50 states before turning 50. That gave Patrick Finney less than four years to complete what seemed an unthinkable task.

Intrigued, the former Omahan researched a host of marathon courses across the U.S., their elevation levels, and coordinated the dates. He created an Excel spreadsheet to organize the undertaking. And then he did it. In less than two years.

"Once I made up my mind to go for it, I did, no hesitation," he said.

What makes the feat more impressive is that Finney, 48, has multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease that short-circuits communication between the brain and the body.

"It's pretty unbelieveable," said Dr. Pam Santamaria, a neurologist at the Nebraska Medical Center. "It should send a message of encouragement to other patients with MS."

The diagnosis threatened Finney's running routine, only a year after he discovered his passion for 5K races.

It started with a headache and blurred vision on Dec. 26, 1998. "It was like looking through a fishbowl," Finney, who now lives in Grapevine, Texas, said in a phone interview. He went to bed, hoping a good night's rest would cure whatever was ailing him. When he awoke, he could see, but he couldn't walk.

Days later, on New Year's Eve, a neurologist diagnosed Finney with MS.

There's no cure, the doctor said. "Just take your medicine, and don't overexert yourself."

"No more running?" Finney thought in disbelief. He needed a second opinion.

Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore offered the same advice. So Finney decided to rehabilitate himself.

Whenever partial paralysis struck, he visited a gym and planted himself on a treadmill. Take a step, he commanded his right foot, holding onto the rail. In time, it followed his instruction. Then his left. Eventually his knees wouldn't buckle, and his hips stayed centered.

"Within a month or two, I was able to walk and balance," he said. But he hadn't returned to his normal self. He ran a 5K anyway. "I'd fall down a couple times, but I was getting stronger."

In 2004, the sporadic paralysis had become less sporadic. For long stretches, Finney's MS rendered him immobile, with short breaks between each episode. "I made a promise to myself that if I ever have the ability to walk again, I want to finish a half marathon," he said.

In 2005, he ran a half marathon in Dallas in four hours and seven minutes. In subsequent half marathons, he cut his time in half. Finney then decided to double the distance and turned to full marathons.

He hasn't experienced an episode since.

He had run seven full marathons before his friend issued "the 50 by 50" challenge. Last September, Finney raced No. 29 in Omaha, where he was born and raised. "It was a homecoming," he said. "I had never run in Omaha before."

His sister, Geri Moore, and parents, Cliff and Sharon Finney, all of Omaha, saw him compete. "We understand what you're doing now. We get it," they told him.

Sometimes, he raced two over two consecutive days. The Omaha race was one of 23 full marathons he ran over a 16-week period. Once, he even ran a full marathon in the morning and a half marathon later that same evening in a different state.

Last weekend, he boarded a plane to Washington state. Only 26.2 miles stood between Finney and the end of the 50 by 50 challenge. Nearly 30 friends and family members joined him in Bellingham, 90 miles north of Seattle. Some ran, too, while others cheered from the sidelines as he finished.

Finney is the first MS patient ro run 50 marathons in 50 states, according to National Multiple Sclerosis Society records. "I knew that I could do it," he said. "And I just proved that I could."

"To me, it's a sign of hope not just for MS patients, but for anybody who has challenges in their lives."

What's next for Finney? For starters, he said, seven more marathons between now and the end of the year.

"I'm not done running."

Contact the writer: katy.healey@owh.com; 402-444-1071

« Live Well - Fitness & Nutrition

Share