PRESS

Denmark Award winner has no plans to slow down

Maryellen Loucks ran Falmouth and the Boston Marathon in 2006.

When Maryellen Loucks of West Barnstable received word that she was nominated, and then selected, to be the 2007 recipient of the Michael Denmark Award, her first response was to question her worthiness.

But it is for exactly that reason the humble 43-year-old school nurse merits recognition from the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race. Loucks embodies all the characteristics that made Denmark an inspiration and why his legacy lives on though the prestigious honor bestowed by the race committee.

The award is presented in recognition of significant achievement in the face of extraordinary personal challenges, similar to those that characterized Michael Denmark's life. It was established in 1992 in honor of Denmark, a former Falmouth resident, who died at the age of 24. Despite a lifetime of battling cystic fibrosis, he was an active runner and competed on his high school and college cross country teams, and in the Falmouth Road Race.

"Michael never used his condition as an excuse," said his father, Jay. "He was a spirited competitor and he never quit. This award is very important to us. It keeps Michael’s memory alive in the town he loved."

Maryellen Loucks is a runner living with multiple sclerosis, and this will be her seventh consecutive Falmouth Road Race. She was a runner long before MS invaded her life, completing four marathons and numerous local races.

Loucks runs not for adulation or awards, but for her mental and physical well-being. However, the attention she received after being profiled in the Cape Cod Times before running the Boston Marathon in April has helped give her a chance to help others.

Now her focus is to run not just for personal enrichment, but also for more than 2½ million like her who have MS. She raised more than $20,000 competing in the last two Boston Marathons. She is grateful for the support and welcomes the opportunity to share her story.

"I am truly humbled (to receive the Denmark Award)," Loucks said. "I’m a little uncomfortable with the attention, but if one person is more hopeful because of me, then it’s worth it."

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune neurological disease that affects the central nervous system. Loucks' original symptoms were numbness in her hands, and, she says, being a nurse knew almost instantly what that meant. She takes daily injections and fortunately has not been disabled. Anything but.

Her message is you need not be defined by a disease. She is a daughter, wife, mom and nurse. She is a runner.

"There is a stigma with MS, probably with a lot of diseases," she says. ''But you don't have to be afraid. I'm comfortable talking about it because awareness is important. I'm not in denial and I'm not giving in.

"I've never had a 'Why me?' attitude. I was worried originally, I'll be honest, because I have a wonderful family and I didn't know what was going to happen. But now I want to be a good role model. I take good care of myself. I feel blessed."

Loucks recalled how she felt running in the 2006 Boston Marathon when she reached 20 miles and Heartbreak Hill. There were still six hard miles to finish. "I was totally wiped out ... so tired. But I had to keep going. I was running for everyone who was supporting me. Quitting is not an option. I would crawl to the finish if I have to."

Loucks said winning the Denmark Award will motivate her to work harder in preparation for the 35th Falmouth Road Race. "It’ll give me a little more spring in my step. I feel an obligation to represent what the award means to the best of my ability."

A school nurse at Centerville Elementary on the Cape, Loucks often runs early in the morning before going to work. When training for a marathon she averages about 35-40 miles per week and also works out with a trainer.

Now that it’s summertime, she backs off a bit, but still participates in an early morning outdoors exercise class three days a week and runs about 30 miles per week. After Falmouth she is considering a sprint triathlon in September and perhaps another marathon in the fall.

Loucks finds inspiration from a passage in the popular Robert Frost poem, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening: ''I have miles to go before I sleep." In a fundraising letter for the Boston Marathon she wrote:

"It is 5:30 a.m., dark and cold. ... The darkness frightens me sometimes, but not running frightens me even more. (It’s) 26.2 miles to the finish. But it really isn't the finish at all. The only finish is a cure. Multiple Sclerosis is the reason for my dedication and determination. It is a terrorist of sorts, attacking movement, vision, speech ... Imagine how we take the simple act of movement for granted. ... I will not be stopped. Moving is who I am! Help me keep moving forward. I do have promises to keep and many dark miles to go before I sleep."

Maryellen Loucks should not question her worthiness for the Michael Denmark Award. She embodies everything it represents.