Outrunning Diabetes: An Ultra-Marathoner's Adventure Across the Seven Continents

By Linda E. Carrier

"Linda Carrier's book tells an amazing story. No, it's more than amazing. It is nearly unbelievable. Hers is a life and a book of challenges met and odds beaten. It's a story about a marathon of marathons, but it's much more than that. It's a story of what the human spir

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda E. Carrier
• Release date: Sep 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781647045227

Linda E. Carrier

As of 2021, Linda E. Carrier has run fifty-nine marathons, fifty-five half-marathons, and two ultramarathons all while managing her type 1 diabetes. She loves talking to newly diagnosed diabetics and their families about the importance of staying active with this diagnosis. She and her husband reside in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

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Copyright © 2022 Linda E. Carrier

All rights reserved. No part of this publication in print or in electronic format may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

Cover Design by Amy Hildebrandt

Interior design, editing, and distribution by Bublish, Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-647045-22-7 (eBook)

ISBN: 978-1-647045-23-4 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-647045-24-1 (hardcover)

Contents

Praise for Outrunning Diabetes

Forward

Warm-Up

Miles 1: Diabetes Does Not Define Me

Miles 2: Diagnosis

Miles 3: Giving Back

Miles 4: The Start To Serious Running

Miles 5: Our Lives Changed

Miles 6: The First Marathon

Miles 7: Can I Safely Run Another Marathon?

Miles 8: Journey to Boston

Miles 9: Life is Unfair

Miles 10: Boston, Here I Come

Miles 11: Officially Qualified

Miles 12: Boston Marathon #2

Miles 13: Planning For the Future

Miles 14: Chicago and NY Marathon’s

Miles 15: Ultra; To Do or Not to Do?

Miles 16: World Marathon Major Finisher

Miles 17: Berlin and London Marathon’s

Miles 18: Tokyo Marathon

Miles 19: Path to the World Marathon Challenge

Miles 20: Retirement

Miles 21: Training Begins

Miles 22: Race Briefings

Miles 23: Antarctica – Marathon #1

Miles 24: Cape Town South Africa – Marathon #2

Miles 25: Perth Australia – Marathon #3

Miles 26: Dubai UAE – Marathon #4

Miles 27: Madrid Spain – Marathon #5

Miles 28: Santiago Chile – Marathon #6

Miles 29: Miami Florida – Marathon #7

Miles 30: Yuengling Shamrock Marathon

Miles 31: Live More, Worry Less

Miles 32: Covid-19 Impact

Miles 33: Cape Town South Africa – Briefing

Miles 34: Bad Weather In Antarctica

Miles 35: Cape Town is First

Miles 36: Antarctica, Finally

Miles 37: Beautiful Perth

Miles 38: Dubai at Night

Miles 39: At the Track in Spain

Miles 40: Hot Fortaleza Brazil

Miles 41: Finishing in Miami Florida

Miles 42: Lifelong Partnership

Miles 43: Next Steps

Appendix

Acknowledgements

Praise for Outrunning Diabetes

I met Linda at The World Marathon Challenge for the first time back in 2019. I think we both thought it would be a once in a lifetime experience, and maybe both of us were surprised to see each other again at the same event in 2020. Pure grit, courage, and determination hidden behind a solid trademark smile is my description of Linda—and I haven’t even mentioned her diabetes! To do extraordinary things with diabetes shows that we can do whatever we set ourselves to do. But we need inspiration to do that, and you are sitting with her book in your hands! Enjoy and take it in.

— Kristina Schou Madsen, Professional Danish trail ultra-runner who set the fastest known time for her ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro and currently holds the World Record for running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

Linda Carrier’s book tells an amazing story. No, it’s more than amazing. It is nearly unbelievable. Hers is a life and a book of challenges met and odds beaten. It’s a story about a marathon of marathons, but it’s much more than that. It’s a story of what the human spirit can achieve. I’m fascinated, entertained, educated, and inspired—all in one book! Read it.

— Dr. John Dempsey, President, Sandhills Community College

Linda is a true inspiration of what it means to live life to the fullest, and to not let any obstacles—or diagnoses—get in the way of that. Living with diabetes requires a certain level of focus and management that can be overwhelming on its own. Linda brings that to an entirely different level when she takes on weeklong marathon challenges and extreme sport! We are inspired by all that Linda continues to accomplish, and it is an absolute privilege and honor to support her on her journey. This is a book for everyone as motivation and strength to take on whatever challenges one faces in life!

— Julie Foster, VP, Customer Experience, Medtronic Diabetes

Linda’s story is an inspiration for everyone, from world-class professionals to young boys and girls. This book chronicles her amazing journey defying odds and accomplishing the unimaginable, getting better and more unbelievable with every detail and turn of the page. Written with her sharp wit and sense of humor, Linda is as entertaining as she is inspiring. A must read for anyone seeking inspiration or simply an amazing story!

— Jon Gerold, Lieutenant Colonel Retired, U.S. Army

Forward

Linda Carrier is a Type 1 diabetic who was diagnosed at the age of 14. However, she has not let diabetes define her, running 59 marathons to date—including the World Marathon Challenge (which consists of running seven marathons on seven continents in only seven days) on two occasions.

This book outlines the 58-year-old’s individual marathon experiences in detail, as well as the factors that led to her taking up marathon running. We also learn about her family background as one of seven children, with two of her siblings also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Despite being advised against engaging in strenuous physical activity—and being told that it would be ‘safer’ to participate in low-intensity exercise, as it’s less likely to disrupt blood sugar levels—Linda ran her first marathon at the age of thirty-four and hasn’t looked back since. In addition to running seven marathons on seven continents in seven consecutive days (twice), Linda has successfully completed the World Marathon Majors, a series of six of the most famous big city road marathons: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York.

With a multitude of marathon races under her belt, and a mind that likes to plan carefully, Linda is uniquely positioned to offer practical advice to any aspiring marathon runner who is diabetic.

Due to the technological advancements made since her diagnosis in the 1970s, it’s now possible for diabetics to get instant blood sugar readings at home, in only seconds. This leap in technology helps diabetics to better understand how certain foods and activities impact their blood sugar levels. Linda’s advice for other diabetics is to be active, utilize the technology currently available, and find physical activities that work for them. For Linda, running is that activity, regulating her blood sugars and offering the benefits of relaxation and time to herself in an increasingly hectic society.

She is supported by her husband Eric every step of the way.

— Richard Donovan, Irish runner, commercial race organizer and first to complete the South Pole Marathon, North Pole Marathon and first to run seven marathons on seven continent in seven days.

This book is dedicated to diabetics, runners, and adventure seekers.

And to the love of my life, Eric Carrier.

Warm-Up

I have been a Type 1 diabetic since the age of 14—so, for over 45 years. Like most diabetics, I am aware that diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, so I take this disease very seriously and do what I can to ensure I live a long and healthy life.

I am also a long-distance runner, which is not common for people with Type 1 diabetes. I have run over 59 marathons to date. I’ve completed the World Marathon Majors, as well as the World Marathon Challenge, twice.

I was active before my diagnosis and have stayed active after my diagnosis. Things obviously had to change, but it is not impossible and, for me, it is what has kept me so healthy all these years. Running, to me, is a savior. It relaxes me, gives me time to myself, regulates my blood sugar, and it makes me feel alive.

I am also very stubborn, which might not be a good thing for someone with Type 1 diabetes. I sometimes feel that I can conquer anything, which can be very dangerous for someone with my condition. Throughout my running adventures, I have made some unwise decisions which could have ended very poorly for me, but I was lucky, and I am alive to tell you my story—the whole story. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Mile 1

Diabetes Does Not Define Me

Tears welled up in my eyes. My chest felt so tight, it was hard to breathe. My heart felt like it was three times its normal size and would soon burst out of my chest cavity. But there he was, approximately 100 yards away, clapping with a huge smile on his face. The worry and concern he’d had at the start of the race had left his face, a look of pride taking over. I continued to run towards the finish line, and to him, feeling a sense of achievement deep within my soul. There I was, not only an older woman a few weeks away from turning fifty-eight, but a woman who’s had Type 1 diabetes for over forty-four years. A woman who was, despite it all, about to cross the final finish line and leap into her husband’s arms after running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

Ever since my diagnosis, I’d been told that I shouldn’t be active. It was dangerous to run, to play sports, to do anything that might negatively affect my blood sugars and potentially kill me. It would be safer to learn to draw, spend more time reading or sewing, and to generally participate in activities that wouldn’t exert a lot of energy and cause my blood sugars to drop.

I heard it. I understood it. I just did not accept it. I knew that if I was careful, I could do everything a non-diabetic could do. One thing about me is that I will always see how far I can push the envelope.

And there I was, a long-term diabetic that rose to the challenge of safely participating in the 2019 World Marathon Challenge—and I had not only finished it, but I’d been the fastest American woman to do so. I knew I could do it, even if it meant crawling across the final finish line. I knew I’d be alive and well at the end, and there I was, proving not only to myself, but to my husband and my friends and family, that I could do anything I put my mind to. I’m living proof that I don’t need to be idle to be in control of my diabetes.

Mile 2

Diagnosis

"Run around the block until I tell you to stop was probably the most common statement I heard from my mother when I was growing up. I am the second of seven children and have always had a lot of energy. My mom was a stay-at-home parent, while my dad worked for the Associated Press at the Columbus Dispatch newspaper in Columbus, Ohio. He often worked second and third shifts, leaving my mother to deal with seven children mostly on her own. Five of the seven children were born in five years with the last two having several years between them. So, when I was bouncing off the walls, my mom would tell me to run around the block in order to wear me out and give her a break. It didn’t matter if the temperature was -8 or 80 degrees, although she would tell me to wear a scarf wrapped around my mouth and nose in the cold weather so my lungs wouldn’t burst." Safety first.

I was born in April of 1962. My parents named me Linda after a very popular song at that time: Along Came Linda. My siblings are Kelly, who is the oldest; Susan, who was born one year after I was; then Scoop or Alvin III, Andy, Adrienne, and finally Dinah.

In 1969, at the age of eight, Kelly became quite ill. When she was born, she was very small, only weighing 5 pounds 7 ounces. By the time Kelly was a year old, she weighed almost 35 pounds. Kelly was adorable, with big dark eyes, dark hair, and a chubby face. As time passed, she was always a little on the chubby side. In 1969, Kelly began losing weight. It was a little weird because at the same time, she was extremely thirsty and hungry. She was getting very lethargic, and her grades were dropping. My parents were taking her to the doctor every other week and they were running tests, but no one could figure out what was wrong with her. My mom would weigh me and then weigh Kelly, and within a few short weeks, Kelly was lighter than I was.

This went on for a couple of months until one day I come home from school for lunch and our neighbor, Ginny, told me that my parents had taken Kelly to the hospital. Early that morning, Ginny read in the Readers Digest about Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the signs of this disease and told my mother about it. Mom had Kelly tested at the doctor’s office that day and they admitted her. None of us really understood what having diabetes meant at the time. Over the next couple of weeks and months, we would soon find out.

Kelly came home and we all had a new regimen. We were educated on how to watch over Kelly. We would watch for signs of low blood sugar—pale skin, confusion, and being shaky—and if we noticed any of those, we were to make sure she drank orange juice. Kelly was sick for quite a while. She spent several weeks in the hospital and, as a result, a decision was made to hold Kelly back a year in school. This meant that Kelly and I would now be in the same grade.

Life went on, but Kelly struggled with being different. She wasn’t allowed to eat sugar. The first Easter after her diagnosis, while the rest of the children had Easter baskets full of candy and a big chocolate bunny, Kelly’s was filled with vanilla wafers, sugar free gum, peanuts, and other sugar free candies. My parents worked hard on making sure Kelly felt included and not different than the rest of us kids, but the reality was that she was different.

It was easy for me to keep an eye on Kelly since I was now in her grade. She really hated giving herself insulin shots. In the 1960s, giving insulin required syringes, bottles of insulin and multiple injections a day. Today, the insulin pump requires one injection every three days. When she was in the hospital learning to give her own insulin shots, the nurse also taught me. This included making sure I rolled the insulin bottle between the palms of my hands, tilting the bottle upwards, and inserting the syringe into the bottle, drawing insulin into the syringe, tapping the syringe lightly to remove any bubbles, and when all was in order, removing the syringe from the bottle. We used a lot of alcohol swabs to clean the top of the insulin bottle and to clean the skin where I planned to inject. We learned by practicing on an orange. After Kelly returned home from the hospital, I would watch her hesitate while giving her injection. She took so long that we were often late for school. Before long, if Kelly took more than a few minutes, I would take the syringe from her and give her the injection. When my parents wanted her to go to camp, I went along with her. We were a team.

It was a challenge to get the right balance of what type of insulin to use, when and how much to inject, and how to adjust these factors based on how much food she was eating and what her activity levels were like. For Kelly, she would use two insulins: long-acting, which gave her a steady balance of insulin for 24 hours, and a short-acting insulin, which peaked at certain times during the 24 hours. Her routine was something like this: before breakfast, mix long-acting with short-acting insulin and give an injection. Eat breakfast—consisting of two pieces of bread, peanut butter, and a glass of milk—within thirty minutes. At noon, lunch consisted of a sandwich, chips, apple, and milk. Around 3:00 p.m., she needed to eat a light snack, which could be ten grapes or peanut butter crackers. Kelly had to eat dinner between 5:00–6:00 p.m., which needed to be comprised of protein, potatoes, vegetables, and maybe a roll and a glass of milk. And before bed, Kelly would have a light snack of fruit or crackers.

Long-acting insulin peaks during the day, so it was important to determine when the peak would happen and make sure Kelly was eating at that time. If she was late, her blood sugar would drop and she would be in danger. I always thought of this dietary balancing act as a seesaw—on one end you had to have the right amount of insulin, and on the other you had to have the right amount of food. If either side of the seesaw was out of balance, it would mean high or low blood sugar, which could result in death.

As you can imagine, my parents now worried that we might all get diabetes, so my mom did a monthly test on the rest of us. Whenever it was my turn to be tested, I urinated in a cup and, using an eye dropper, put a few drops of urine in a test tube with a tablet. The tablet would turn a certain color after a couple of minutes, and I would compare the color to the strip of colors located on the back of the bottle of tablets. Over time, it was simplified; I could just urinate on a test strip, getting rid of the test tube and tablets, and compare those results to the color strip on the bottle. I believe the first blood glucose testing started in the early 1970s.

In November of 1976, when I was 14 years old, I was at school and found myself always thirsty. No water fountain was safe from me. I came home and asked my mom to test me for diabetes. Mom did and it showed that my glucose level was high, an indication that I was a diabetic. She called my father, and they took me to the hospital. Kelly now had a true partner in this battle with diabetes.

I half expected that I would feel some anger or denial with this diagnosis, but I didn’t. I knew what to expect but I also was learning from what Kelly was experiencing. Kelly was a year older, which meant she was the first of us to start dating, get a driver’s license, or land a real job. Any struggles she had with being a diabetic and experiencing these new activities, I learned from. For example, I never told my