BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
To some, Sudbury?s Paul McNeil is a pioneer and a hero. To others, he is pure inspiration.
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Paul McNeil credits his family, which includes his wife Kathy and children Scotia, 2, and Farrah, 1, for much of his success as a marathon runner. |
Born with severe Factor IX hemophilia, McNeil has overcome his disease, with the help of medical science, to become what is believed to be the first man in the world with hemophilia to run an entire marathon.
He accomplished this remarkable feat three years ago at the Toronto International Marathon. He ran the full 26-mile (42.2 kilometre) course without stopping.
Today he will compete in his unprecedented fifth marathon. McNeil, 31, is missing a clotting protein in his blood. If injured, he can form a clot, but it?s incomplete and will continue to bleed.
About four years ago, a medical company came out with Benefix, a synthetic clotting protein. McNeil started using the product to help him lead a more active, normal lifestyle.
This incredible drug has changed McNeil?s life for the better.
?I can do running and weightlifting now,? said McNeil. ?I don?t have to worry about where hospitals are in other areas if I travel. It has given me freedom.?
McNeil?s interest with marathons began when he started running in 1999 to lose weight. When he started, he ran about two to three kilometres a day. Each day he found he could run further.
?I found I really enjoyed running,? said McNeil. ?As I got more into it, I realized, I could compete in a marathon.?
McNeil was told by people he would be unable to compete in a marathon. It was said the rigours of training and
competing would be too much for a person with hemophilia. McNeil proved them wrong. He completed his first marathon in four hours and six minutes.
?I proved I could do it,? said McNeil. ?Knowing you can do it makes you want to run another.?
And run another he did. In fact, McNeil ran three more after his first marathon. He competed and completed two marathons in Ottawa and another in Toronto. Now, McNeil is fully charged again and ready for today?s big
challenge.
This time, besides hoping to inspire others who suffer from hemophilia, McNeil is looking to break his personal best time of four hours and 11 seconds.
?I would like to break the four-hour mark,? said McNeil. ?I hope it encourages other hemophiliacs to run and inspires them to lead a more active lifestyle.?
It takes careful planning for McNeil to compete. He takes Benefix three times a week year-round as he trains. He takes it through intravenous, which takes 20 minutes to complete. The week leading up to a marathon, McNeil
takes the drug everyday.
?It?s part of my life now. That?s the nature of the disease,? said McNeil. ?It saves me a lot of grief.?
McNeil will kick off the arduous run at 9 am. Competing in marathons has been a positive, enlightening experience for McNeil.
?It has given me more confidence,? said McNeil. ?I was never involved with sports in school. I did some competitive swimming, but it?s given me a better sense of direction in my life and better understanding of the disease.?
Being the first man with hemophilia to complete a marathon and inspire others to do the same is a rewarding experience for McNeil.
?It?s humbling. I?ve started something and I can?t just drop it. I have to take responsibility for it and keep doing it,? said McNeil. ?It?s amazing that I?ve inspired others to do the same.?
McNeil?s family has given him tremendous support.
?My family has been important. Without their support I wouldn?t be able to do this,? said McNeil. ?It takes a lot
of time to train. Without them I would be lost.?
When McNeil isn?t accomplishing personal goals, he likes to play the piano, enjoy the outdoors and spend time with his wife of eight years, Kathy and their two daughters Scotia, 2, and Farrah, 1. McNeil is a registered nurse
and has worked at the Sudbury Regional Hospital for the last four years.
