Friends Reunite to Run Toward a Cure

Chris Wodke and Cheryl Monnat show friendship and loyalty extend well beyond college days.

Wodke and Monnat, of Whitefish Bay, met when they both attended engineering school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and now they have reunited to form Team CMT, a running team that raises awareness of Charcot Marie Tooth Disorder, a neurological disorder that Wodke was diagnosed with in August.

Charcot Marie Tooth, or CMT, is the most common inherited neuropathy, affecting approximately 150,000 Americans. It is as common as MS, but most people have never heard of it, including many medical professionals. 

CMT is slowly progressive, causing deterioration of the nerves that control the sensory information and muscle function of the foot/lower leg and hand/fore arm. It also causes foot drop, high arches, and hammer toes, problems with balance and hand function, lower leg cramping, loss of normal reflexes. It can also cause profound tiredness and weakness.

For Wodke, a long distance runner and tri-athlete, the foot drop causes her foot to catch while running. Sometimes there is burning, numbness and tingling in her feet.  The muscles in her calves are extremely tight, making walking, much less running, difficult. For her, having CMT may mean she may one day lose the ability to run.

Still, she feels lucky to be running. It is very rare for someone with CMT to be running much less competing in long distance events. Most people with CMT have difficulty with standing, walking and doing simple tasks like opening jars.

Wodke, Monnat and Team CMT athletes are dedicated to raising awareness of CMT. The team singlet takes its inspiration from the STAR (Stategy to Accelerate Research) initiative. An important step to finding a cure is to raise awareness and funds for research. There is no treatment, although the gene that causes CMT has been identified and there is hope for a cure in the next 3 to 5 years. There is even hope a treatment may be found that will reverse the damage caused by CMT.

The team will be competing in events around the county including the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee and the Marine Corp. Marathon in Washington D.C. this October. Yesterday, she competed in the Madison Marathon with the hopes of qualifying for the mobility impaired division of the 2012 Boston Marathon.

Monnat will be attempting to qualify for Boston at the Lakefront Marathon in October. They both plan on running the Boston Marathon in April of 2012 to raise awareness and funds for CMT research.

Monnat has been a loyal supporter throughout her friend’s diagnosis.  She continues to provide more support, racing often for Team CMT and recruiting members. Monnat pushes Wodke to be a better runner and be consistent in her training. Monnat is frequent age group winner in runs and triathlons.

You can learn more about CMT, Team CMT, and their efforts to raise awareness and how you can help at the web site. www.run4cmt.com. Team CMT currently has sixteen athletes in five states.