Meet Team CMT member Dawn Fritzell

" It doesn't matter how slow you go, as long as you do not stop." Lao-Tzu

Welcome Dawn to Team CMT. She was one of our first members and joined after seeing an article in the national CMTA newsletter.

Dawn Fritzell is from Appleton. She recently completed the Cheesehead Half Marathon in Hilbert Wisconsin.  This 53 year old finished in a very nice time of 2 hr 4 minutes and some change.  She is pictured here with her daughter Rachel 14, son Ken 10 and her husband John. All three have CMT.  Dawn asked to join the team to support them.

She is also a member of the Fox Cities Pace Setters Running club. She will be running in the Fox Cities Half Marathon on Sunday September 18th. I ran the same event exactly one year old. I used the event as a fundraiser for the CMTA. It was my first race after my own diagnosis.  I had not run a race in many years, but decided to return to competition because I relized what a gift it is to have CMT and still be able to run.

Those of us on the team, especially those of us with CMT realize our running is not about times and medals.  We run because we still can and want to keep running as long as we can. 
Many Team CMT members have family members affected by CMT, they run for them. It doesn't matter how fast we run or how many medals we win, although those are nice. What is important is that we don't stop.... and we won't. Not until we reach our vision of a world without CMT.

Good luck this weekend Dawn! We're proud to have you on Team CMT!

Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

Running, triathlons, impaired athlete, paratriathlon, USAT, running and CMT

Team CMT members on the move

It has been a busy couple of weeks for many Team CMT members.  Robert Kearney and Cheryl Monnat ran the Eisenbahn half marathon on August 27th.  Robert and Cheryl have been training in the Badgerland Striders build-up program for Lakefront Marathon on October 9th.  Cheryl won 2nd place in her age group. Way to go Cheryl. Robert and Cheryl both worked together at Johnson Controls. Robert now lives in Indiana, but comes to Milwaukee to train and race.

Texas team members have been busy as well. Morgan Johnson is currently in China competing at the World Triathlon Championships. Morgan is a member of Team USA.  Team member Joyce Kelly ran in the 9/11 heros 5K in Dallas and continues to train for the White Rock Marathon in Dallas the first Sunday in December. I expect to see Joyce at Boston next year.

We had a large contingent of Team CMT runners at the Lake Country Half Marathon and 5 K. Kathy Stultzm her son Lincoln and niece Alyssa Flagge all participated. They are running for Kathy's daughter Regan.   Kathy is also training for the Chicago Marathon in October. She has been battling an ankle injury. Good luck to Kathy and thanks to all of your family.

Appleton Team CMT member Dawn Fritzell ran the Cheesehead Half Marathon on Sept 3. Still waiting for the pictures.  Dawn has several family members with CMT.

Our Team CMT member in England Donna Dewick is in Paris to race for our team. Can't wait to see the pictures.

I have been busy training for Marine Corp at the end of October. I have been fighting turf toe since the end of July.  I have been rocking the kineso tape and it really seems to have helped. I was able to get all my runs in this week, including my 20 miler today.  The biggest news is on Monday September 12th I will register for the Boston Marathon.  I am asking for entry to the mobility impaired division. I will have to wait with the all the runners applying to see if I am accepted. This year for the first time runners with the fastest times will be accepted until the race is full.  I should know by early October if I have made the cut.

We also gained 4 new Team CMT members this week. We now have 42 members and we are still growing. Thanks to everyone who trains and races for Team CMT to raise awareness of Charcot Marie Tooth Disorder. You all inspire me!


Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

Meet Team CMT Member David McCarthy

Team CMT member David McCarthy is a 20 year old college student from Wayland, Mass.  He will be a junior at Vassar College where he is a biology major. He is Pre-Med so let's hope he makes it to medical school and helps to educate the medical community on CMT.

David is not connected to anyone on Team CMT.  He stumbled across the Team CMT site when looking for races to run during his summer break.  After reading the site he knew he wanted to learn more about CMT and help Team CMT raise awareness.  He was happy to support our cause and I am thrilled to have him on the team.

David recently ran the Thomas Chamberas  6K cross country race.  He completed the course in 22:33. Congratulations David and welcome to the team. You are one of 38 members of this team in 12 states and in England.  Welcome to Team CMT David. I am looking forward to seeing you run a lot more in Team CMT colors!



Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

Pioneer Sprint Triathlon

Team CMT has members in 12 states and England. So when I made a visit to Texas in July this year I thought it would be a good chance to meet Texas teammates Joyce Kelly and Morgan Johnson. Lunch seemed like a good idea. That was not good enough for Joyce.  She said I was going to do the Pioneer Sprint Triathlon in Denton Texas on July 31st.

I was a bit nervous about the swim part since I have only done 3 tri's and the open water swims freaked me out a bit. No problem, this was a pool swim.  Then there was the problem of not having a bike. Joyce arranged for a rental for me from Richardson bikes. I picked up a great Trek bike for the race and  I was all out of excuses.

So I dragged my sister in law out of bed at 4:30 in the morning for the drive to Denton.  We had to be set up and out of the transition area by 6:15.  Joyce was sidelined by sickness, but Morgan and I were still in.

Because I registered late, I was near the end of the line to get into the pool. Athletes entered the pool one at a time, every 7 or so seconds. We swam up the right side of the lane, went under the lane marker to get to the next lane. It was an easy 7 laps.  The race was seeded by time and most of the athletes around me were newbies.  Many were afraid of putting their face in the water or making it the whole way. Those of us with some experience pointed out the swimmers doing the breast and side stroke and those resting at the end of the lane.

 I wan't even in the pool yet and the lead athletes were already done with the bike and were heading out on the run.  My turn came for the swim. It was in the high 90's at the race start at 6:45. Even the water was warm in the outdoor pool. I passed several swimmers. The swim leg usually does not go so smoothly. I love pool swims. I was actually first in my age group in the swim.

    Next was the transition area, to don my Team CMT singlet and shoes.  The bike portion was 16 miles and was advertised as flat. Well sort of....there were several long climbs and the couse measured much longer than 16 miles on my bike computer. There were large patches of road that were really rough. It felt like riding over a washboard. My hands and feet were starting to go numb. That happens due to the CMT.  I finished in 1 hr 8 minutes.  Not too good, but I have been mostly running this summer.

Last up was the 5 K run. There were water stations every mile. They also gave out paper towels soaked in ice water. I have never had that on a run. It was much needed and appreciated.
It had to be over 100 F. It said 106 F on the car themometer on the way home.

I finished, got my finisher medal and found Team CMT members Joyce and Morgan. That was exciting because while we had exchanged many emails we had never met. They had just given out the age group awards and I noticed my time was better than the 1st place finisher. I went to tell the race director and they gave me a 3rd place award. The final results show me in 3rd. My final time was 1:51 good enough to qualify me for paranationals if I am certified. I had trained very little so I am happy with that showing.

It was great to run in such a fun and well organized race. I had a blast. I can't wait till I switch over to tri's next year. It was also fantastic to meet Joyce and Morgan.



Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

Team CMT members Cheryl Monnat and Chris Wodke ran the Reykjavik Half Marathon on Saturday August 20th.  It was Cheryl's birthday and she celebrated with a time of 1:49, good for 12th out of 87 women in the 50-59 age group. Chris Wodke ran the race in a personal best for the year of 2:10, good for 47th place.  Some days the training just clicks and the race feels great. We both had that kind of day. The distance seemed easy and we had fun.

There were three races, a marathon, half marathon and 10K, drawing 10,000 runners.  Over 48 countries were represented.  This race not only drew an international field but a fast one. 

The weather was a a little under 60F for the 8:30 start of the race. Perfect weather for a long run. The average high in Iceland in August is 60F.   Reykjavik has a bike path that runs throughout the city including a long stretch along the ocean.  We had both done runs earlier in the week on this path. The route made for one of the most beautiful course I have ever run.  The route was also quite aromatic as most of the runners around me did not seem to be wearing deordorant.

It was strange hearing different foreign languages spoken all around me.  All three races started at the same times and there seemed to be lots of runners with stories. I lined up next to a Canadian mom and son running together with tee-shirts to match.  I ran for awhile with two Icelandic sisters wearing identical pick tee shirts.  They asked me where I was from and when I said Milwaukee, a women runner right behind me yelled she was from Milwaukee. Guess it is a small world.  My favorite tee shirt said "pain is temporary, glory is forever and knees are replaceable." There were also several charities represented like the diabetes foundation and CMT.

Crowd support was great. Lots of residents came out and banged drums and played music for us.  The volunteers were efficient and friendly. There was plenty of water and Gatorade.

I saw lots of runners looking at our Team CMT singlets, so we raised some good awareness. It was a good week of site seeing in Iceland and a great day of racing. 



Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

Team CMT Member Morgan Johnson

I joined Texas CMT member Morgan Johnson on August 1st for the Pioneer Sprint Triathlon in Denton Texas.  Morgan took 1st in her age group and 2nd overall. Our other Texas Team CMT member Joyce Kelly was present but sidelined by injury.

Morgan asked me to join the team because she coaches Team CMT member Joyce Kelly through Playtri.
Morgan is relatively new to the sport, with just 3 years of competition.  She is a national title holder and recently earned a spot on Team USA for 2011. She will be headed to China in September to compete.

Morgan started coaching 1 1/2 years ago and has lead the University of North Texas Womans Tri team to two USAT Collegiate National Championships.  Many of her athletes have earned a spont on Team USA.
Morgan likes to work with youth and developmental athletes. Her background in education helps her to relate well to these athletes. She is currently the first Playtri Lead Developmental Coach.

Morgan uses the lates research to train her athletes, also keeping in mind that each athlete is an indivisual with their own goals.   Morgan welcome to our team and good luck in Bejing this September!




Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have almost 100 members in 17 states. If you wish to join us visit our web site.

CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

North Face Endurance Challenge

North Face is coming to run a series of trail races on September 17th and 18th in Eagle Wisconsin.

Races available include:

• 5K
• 10K
• Half Marathon
• Marathon Relay
• Marathon
• 50 K
• 50 mile

The races will start and end in Ottawa State Park and will be run on the trails.  I will be running in the half marathon.  It is great to have such a quality race run so close to Milwaukee.  I am sure this will be a great event. North Face makes great products and I am sure their race will be outstanding as well. To get more details and register
http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/races/2011/wi/index.html