Poole-ing Together
Poole-ing Together
300 miles for CF; tough times can blossom into the best outcome for all
In early June, Bradley Poole, a local trainer and business owner, started a run of ultramarathon proportions – 300 miles in 3 short days to raise money and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that damages lung immunity and can progress, leading to limited lung function over time. 300 miles in 3 days is a notable and impressive feat for anyone, and quite a step up from the 266 miles Bradley completed in a week the year before for the same cause. What’s even more astonishing is that Bradley himself was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 6, and was not expected to live past his teens.
Inspired and ready to take on the challenge, Brad started out on June 9th. He had intended to do the whole run on a loop of some local roads in and around Ellicottville, but heavy rains convinced him to start on the treadmill before the weather broke and he could ‘run free’. He pushed himself a little hard, and had some heavy duty fatigue issues at about 60 miles in on the first day. Brad suffered lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and heavy body cramping. After finally resting around 9:00pm, he rose at 2:30am to take on Day Two and continue his challenge. (There is a reason this guy’s business is named Warrior Fitness!) He pushed out 12 more miles before the damage done the day before caught up to him.
“I felt extremely exhausted and took another couple hours nap. I fueled up and ran another 8 miles. By 80 miles in at around 10:00am Thursday I wasn’t feeling very well, and hoped to get an IV to get me back on my game,” Brad shares. “The ambulance came and some tests were run.”
Turns out his at-rest heart rate was at 100 beats per minute. A formidable increase to his typical rate in the low 40’s! It was suggested he go to the hospital, and he obliged with full intent on returning to the run. Knowing Brad and his inability to surrender, this was NOT an easy choice to make, but thankfully he did. He was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis (Rolls right off the tongue), a condition in which one’s muscle tissue breaks down and protein leaks into the bloodstream, potentially causing kidney failure. The tax man cometh. Facing the decision of leaving the hospital to continue the run and risking his kidneys shutting down, or staying and getting the medical attention he needed, Brad took the wise route and stayed, much to the relief of his support team and wonderful family. But this was only a bump in the road for the movement Brad set up to conquer and to utilize to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis.
“I was sitting in the hospital scrolling through Facebook and I started seeing all these posts of people running miles for me. As much as I wanted to be out there, I was overjoyed to see people from the community and even outside of the community coming together to help me out and raise awareness for CF. I actually teared up, and was just so thankful for the support”
On Friday, Bradley was able to get back out and hit the pavement to finish what he started. In the fashion of his rebellious spirit (the same spirit that is the reason he’s still with us today), this was against a couple doctors’ orders. But he took it easy and just pushed through another 20 miles to make the 100-mile mark. He mentioned, “I did it safely and didn’t push myself as hard.”
Altogether, the total mileage was over 1,000 miles from everyone chipping in, and a little over $40,000 was raised for Cystic Fibrosis awareness and research. It reminds me of a statistic I saw recently - a draft horse can pull on average around 8,000 pounds. When paired with a horse of similar ilk, the team can pull around 24,000 pounds (3 times what a single horse can). We are stronger together, and speaking for myself, I was so grateful for this representation of community pulling together.
We all commune with different circles and different communities. Through this event and the humbling and potentially dark turn it took, we see Bradley’s Ellicottville, CF, and surrounding communities join together to get the job done, all while supporting his healing as well as his goal. So many lessons can be learned through this story. Don’t push yourself too hard. Don’t put everything on your shoulders. Responsibility is important but when we take too much on, our family, community and selves can suffer. It is also important to care for ourselves first and foremost – if we aren’t around, or aren’t stable, we can’t be as present with our circles. We can find so much support through our community, and that sometimes if we forget to ask, or take on too much, a little breakdown is what we need to see the parts we were missing fall into place and show us that everything we need is right there for us. Bradley is a public motivational speaker and has a Facebook page under his name – Bradley Poole, and owner of and trainer at Warrior Fitness on 5 Park Avenue, right in town. Do yourself a favor and give him a follow for uplifting and supportive messages, and from time to time catch what a comedian he is, too. We appreciate you Brad!