WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Kayla Montgomery, 18, was found to have multiple sclerosis three years ago. Defying most logic, she has gone on to become one of the fastest young distance runners in the country – one who cannot stay on her feet after crossing the finish line.
Because MS blocks nerve signals from her legs to her brain, particularly as her body temperature increases, she can move at steady speeds causing other runners pain she cannot sense, creating the peculiar circumstance in which the symptoms of a disease might confer an athletic advantage.
But intense exercise also can trigger weakness and instability; as she goes numb in races, she can continue moving forward as if on autopilot, but any disruption, like stopping, makes her lose control.
“When I finish, it feels like there’s nothing underneath me,” she said. “I start out feeling normal, and then my legs gradually go numb. I’ve trained myself to think about other things while I race, to get through. But when I break the motion, I can’t control them, and I fall.”
Last month, Montgomery, a senior at Mount Tabor High School, won the North Carolina state title in the 3,200 meters. Her time of 10 minutes 43 seconds ranks her 21st in the country. Her next major competition is the 5,000 meters at the national indoor track championships in New York on Friday, when she hopes to break 17 minutes.
Though examples of elite athletes with MS are scarce, some have speculated that her racing-induced numbness lends a competitive edge, especially given the improvement in her times since the diagnosis.
“The disease has no potential to make her physically more competitive,” said her neurologist, Lucie Lauve, who also said she did not know precisely why Montgomery collapsed after races. “If MS has made her a better athlete, I believe it is a mental edge.”
Patrick Cromwell, Montgomery’s coach, said he thought insensitivity to the pain of distance racing could be marginally advantageous.
“I think there’s a benefit to numbness,” he said. “I don’t know anyone in their right mind, though, who would trade this; who would say, ‘Give me MS so I have a little bit of numbness after Mile 2.’ But I think that’s when she gets her strength.”
