As a Type 1 diabetic, Texas man Don Muchow always had a fear of exercise. He was concerned that his blood sugar would either run too high, which could cause long-term damage to the body, or drop way too low, which would require immediate action.
However, he eventually came to overcome his fears, and earlier this month, completed an achievement years in the making, and one that Muchow had been actively working towards for the last 14 months.
On April 7, the 59-year-old Muchow completed a cross country run, from Disneyland in Anaheim, California to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, a 2,800 mile journey with the hopes of raising awareness for Type 1 diabetes.
Muchow planned to cover the 2,800 miles in about 100 days, but the pandemic altered his plans a little. He started his run in February 2020, but had to pauseMarch 22 when grocery stores started running out of supplies.
He picked up his run again September 24, and had to pause again October 18 when Covid numbers began to spike. He finally resumed his run March 2, completing his journey April 7.
Muchow says he hopes his run inspires other diabetics.
He told Runner's World, "My wife, [Leslie], and I got to see backyard America face-to-face, person-to-person, and managed to come in contact with type 1 people and unique stories from the ground level. That, aside from personal transformation from the run itself, was the most rewarding part.”