Stories to Inspire: Going the Extra Mile
By Susan Wells Courtney
All individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) have their own unique story of the initial symptoms that first alerted them to the fact that something wasn’t quite right. For Betsy Mueller, it was numbness on her left side, starting at the top of her head and continuing down her left arm. She was also experiencing extreme fatigue, unrelated to any activity, and this was very unlike Betsy.
A trip to the ER, where she had an MRI scan, followed by a spinal tap and other evaluations, all led to a confirmed MS diagnosis in 2021. Betsy was slow to tell others about her MS. She didn’t want people to know when she wasn’t well and explains that she didn’t want to see their “sad eyes.” In addition to physical fatigue, Betsy was also experiencing cognitive fatigue, which made finding the right words to describe how she was feeling more difficult. She and her family – a devoted husband, Chris, and three beautiful daughters – worked together, along with her healthcare team, to make sense of the diagnosis.
In 2023, Betsy and her family moved from the cold winters and humid summers of Wisconsin, to the year-round arid and warm weather of Flagstaff, Arizona. In this new environment, she was able to spend more time outside, be more active, and continue to fulfil her passion for running. She explains that when running, she feels free and empowered. She feels as though her body can keep moving and feels she has more control of her life.
Given her love of running, combined with her fascination with people who have run across the United States, Betsy came up with the incredibly ambitious goal of making her own 3,000-mile trek across the country. Her reason for this run was not only for the personal satisfaction of achieving a lifelong dream, but also to prove to herself, her family, and the world, that people with MS can still accomplish amazing goals. She wanted to run for the entire MS community, raising awareness, providing encouragement, and reassuring individuals with MS that they are not alone.
In conjunction with her run, Betsy started a nonprofit, “Active with MS.” Its mission is to support activities and organizations that inspire and empower individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) to pursue active and fulfilling lifestyles. More information may be found at activewithms.org.
She also partnered with MSAA for additional support in raising awareness. Betsy found partnering with MSAA to be a meaningful experience. It gave her the chance to connect with “incredible people” and hear their powerful stories. Details are available on Betsy’s website at BetsyRunsUSwithMS.com, which also features her informative documentary, “Beyond the Miles: Betsy’s Story, Part One: Running Through Multiple Sclerosis.”
In addition to interviews with Betsy’s family, doctors, and running coach, the documentary also includes some raw moments, with Betsy talking about her bad days, times when she felt down and tired, as though she was hitting the wall. Those days made her feel as though the disease was winning. She knows that the journey with an illness can be lonely and isolating… making it easy to fall back on negative thinking.
Preparing for the run, Betsy worked with her neurologist to take the necessary precautions for such strenuous physical activity, which included staying hydrated, resting, and wearing garments for cooling. She also worked with her coach to train for running 3,000 miles. She created a route for her cross-country run, planned for whatever weather might be expected along the way, and formed a support team to accompany her throughout the journey. This team included a support car as well as a large motor home driven by her husband, following her every step of the way. She was supported in these vehicles at times by her two older daughters, her sister and brother-in-law, her brother, and a family friend – all taking turns for weeks at a time to help along the run.
On March 9, 2025, Betsy and her support team departed from Santa Monica, California. She followed a routine of walking one mile and running five, repeating that until she hit 30 miles a day. This approach helped her to avoid burnout and finish strong without walking the last few miles.
Around the halfway point (about 1,500 miles in), she started adding five more miles to her daily total, bringing her to 35 miles a day. She still used the walk/run strategy, but adjusted it on steep terrain, walking uphill, running downhill, and running when the terrain was flat.
Finishing her run on June 19, 2025, Betsy completed it all in 102 days! Sharing her story, Betsy realized that she’s stronger than she thought she was. She found that moments of struggle, rather than deterring her, brought her resolve to be more determined.
Each setback brings another reason to push forward, to show others what is possible in the face of MS. In an interview, Betsy concluded that the one thing MS has taught her is to not be afraid of failing and to never give up.
Regarding MS, she states, “You’re a part of me, but not in charge of me.”