Runner, woman with multiple sclerosis find inspiration in shared mini-marathon journey

A story of Inspiration

INDIANAPOLIS — Kelli Turner said she wanted to share the “electricity” of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.

Connie Roney longed to feel the elation of crossing the finish line — something she couldn’t do alone.

On Saturday, they’ll both get their wishes.

Turner says she isn’t a runner by nature. She is more of a bicyclist, though she has done eight half-marathons and other races since her first Mini in 2009.

Her biggest adventure was riding 700 miles in one week from Kansas to Indianapolis as part of America By Bike, a cross-country ride.

She has an athletic background, says her sister, Robin Bode. To this day, Turner, 45, holds the Columbus East High School record for discus throwing. That’s not something Turner would bring up, but her sister does.

Ten years ago, Roney was happily married to Garry, an Air Force sergeant. She was an avid walker. She walked regularly with a group of friends and fellow nurses. They participated in walks benefiting causes such as the March of Dimes.

Then, at age 53, she experienced foot drop, difficulty in lifting the front part of the foot. Her right leg started getting weaker. She had all sorts of blood and nerve tests and a brain MRI. Nothing definitive showed up.

“It took them nearly four years to diagnose me with multiple sclerosis,” said Roney, who lives in Seymour.

At first, she was able to walk by using a walker, but she broke both her ankles in falls. Flu weakened her body, and she couldn’t fully recover. Two years ago, Roney started using a wheelchair. She continued working at a nursing home.

Her husband had his own challenges. He was a six-year lung cancer survivor and had retired from Cummins Engine Co. in Columbus. On Thanksgiving Day 2010, they decided to stay home and have dinner together — just the two of them. He talked about how it would be their last Thanksgiving while she was still working.

She left the room to heat up dinner. When she came back, Garry was dead. He had suffered a massive heart attack. They had known each other 41 years and were married for 20.

Four years ago, Turner — a supplier quality engineer at Roche Diagnostics — decided she needed to improve her health. And she needed a goal. Otherwise, the couch beckoned.

The goal: the 2009 Mini-Marathon.

“I beat my stretch time goal by a few seconds. And I never even looked at my watch.”

Turner was captivated by the experience. The adrenaline that builds when the national anthem is sung. Lining up with the sea of runners.

“You can feel the electricity of everybody’s adrenaline and their emotions,” she said.

During last year’s Mini-Marathon, Turner ran past a mother holding up the arm of her severely disabled daughter, who sat in a motorized wheelchair, so runners could give her high-fives. Turner was so inspired by their willingness to be out there cheering that she turned around and went back to give the girl a high-five.

“During the next mile, I tried to compose myself and quit crying,” she recalled. “I thought that I really take running for granted. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to not be able to do this.”

The next day, she went back to 10th Street where she remembered seeing them. She found a house with a ramp. There, she left her finisher’s medal with the girl’s brother.

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