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From Finish Line To Front Line, Running Medical Professionals Deal With Pandemic Challenges

Published by
DyeStat.com   Apr 25th 2020, 2:04pm
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Goals On Hold, Runners In Medicine Focus On Fighting The Pandemic

By Theresa Juva Brown for DyeStat

When Kate Landau crossed the finish line as the top master’s runner at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February — a phenomenal accomplishment after battling digestive distress during the race — she knew she had more to give. 

Landau, 43, looked forward to finally showcasing her hard-earned fitness this month at the Boston Marathon, where she hoped to break 2:30 and set a huge personal record. 

But just a couple weeks after the Trials, COVID-19 upended life as the highly contagious disease swept the nation, forcing states to shutter schools and businesses and cancel or postpone large events, including the Boston Marathon, which has been tentatively rescheduled for Sept. 14. 

A mother and physician assistant at a skilled nursing facility, in addition to being an elite marathoner, Landau has been too busy to dwell on her missed race opportunity in Boston this month.

“There are several nurses in the facility, and they are great, but I am the ultimate decision maker,” said Landau, who lives in Tacoma, Wash., with her 7-year-old daughter.

“So I am responsible for deciding if, and when, we send patients back to the hospital. Sending a patient to the hospital for evaluation is a bigger deal now as there is a risk of exposure to COVID and bringing it back to the facility.” 

Because her patients are in their 70s, 80s and 90s and already in frail health, “if they contract COVID-19, they most definitely will die,” she said. 

During our country's unprecedented health crisis, Landau and other runners with careers in medicine have swiftly set aside their running goals to focus on saving lives and keeping their own families safe. 

Kayla Lampe, 27, was looking forward to a fresh start this spring after recovering from a sacral stress fracture that forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. The back injury was so painful, Lampe, a 2:41 marathoner and member of the Philadelphia Runner Track Club, had to use crutches for two weeks and take time off from her job as an emergency room nurse at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Instead of revving up for a running comeback, Lampe is back at work and learning to navigate a new and uncertain reality as a nurse on the frontlines.

“There are definitely difficult days where I feel like I’m pulled in all different directions,” she said. “It can be overwhelming at times. You can’t plan for anything in the ER. It’s unpredictable by nature, and we deal with all the raw emotions that come with illness and disease.”

The crisis has also disrupted life for Martin Hehir, 27, a former distance standout at Syracuse University when the team won the 2015 NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships. 

A couple months ago, Hehir, now a fourth-year medical student in Philadelphia, was riding high after a thrilling experience at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, where he finished sixth and relished the moment with his family and friends. 

A couple of weeks later, the escalating disease led medical schools to pull their students from hospitals and switch to online classes. 

Now home, Hehir is most concerned about his wife, Monica, who is expecting their second child this summer and is on leave from her job as a pediatric nurse practitioner.

“But that doesn’t alleviate the extra anxiety that comes with avoiding the virus at all costs,” he said. “I only leave for runs because if I’m careless about being safe and smart, it affects all of us.” 

He also worries about his mother and twin sisters, who all work as nurses. 

For Landau, the challenges don’t stop when she leaves the nursing home. A single mother, Landau now has to manage care for her daughter with little support. While Landau is working, her daughter attends a day camp for children of healthcare workers, but with all extracurricular activities canceled, Landau is her daughter’s constant playmate. 

Still, Landau finds time to squeeze in runs on her treadmill at home or before she picks up her daughter. These days, Landau runs to relieve stress and maintain her fitness, knowing that it could be a long time before she gets to race again. 

“I am still on board to run Boston in September, but I’m not really convinced that will happen, unless there is a (COVID) treatment (or) vaccine,” she said. “I honestly don’t think that will happen by September. So one day at a time for now.”



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