A runner who will never race
A decorated athlete faces a decision that could end her career but prolong her life.
By Mallory Becker | Clarion Correspondent
Erika Nolby pumped her arms with fervor. It was the last lap. Beads of sweat streamed down her face and fell to the red asphalt of the Stillwater High School track beneath her. Nolby and her teammate Shaelyn Sorensen had ran the last three laps at the same pace. They were accompanied by Elowyn Pfeiffer, a tall brunette from Highland Park Senior High School.
As the trio approached the last curve, Sorensen made her move securing a first place ticket to the state meet in the Women’s Varsity 1600 Meter run. Just one second behind her were Nolby and Pfeiffer running stride for stride on the 100 meter stretch in front of a rowdy grandstand crowd. Out of the corner of her right eye, Nolby could see Pfeiffer as they sprinted towards the finish line. To the naked eye, both competitors crossed at exactly the same time, but a photo finish would determine which of the two would compete with Sorensen at the state meet. After the race Nolby waited in the grass where she had been told by many that she crossed first, but officially, Nolby and Pfeiffer wouldn’t know the results until one or the other was called up onto the podium after Sorensen.
On Thursday May 31, 2012, Erika Nolby claimed a photo finish second place and a trip to the Minnesota State Track Meet as an eighth grader with a time of 5:13:16, just two-hundredths of a second faster than Elowyn Pfeiffer. Nolby, being the youngest runner in the lineup, went on to place sixteenth in the 2A 1600 Meter Finals in the state of Minnesota.
“If I’m this good, why wouldn’t I run in college?” Nolby wondered.
Since then, Nolby earned many honors and received many awards for her outstanding abilities running Cross Country and Track & Field for Tartan High School. It wasn’t until the end of her sophomore season that Nolby saw her successes start to decline.
Nolby’s phone rang. The screen read “mom”. She placed her mechanical pencil inside of the textbook in her lap and slid the button on her iPhone to answer.
“Dad’s in the hospital again, basically his heart is doing the same thing as last time but he will be alright,” Michele Nolby said.
During his stay at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Mark Nolby had an MRI scan where the mutation for Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) showed up for the first time. Upon his diagnosis, Mark received a pacemaker in his left shoulder and a warning that this condition is genetic and could potentially affect one or both of his two children.
“I knew it would affect his ability to do exercise and to be as active as he used to be, so I was sad for him because I know our family is very active and likes to do a lot of stuff,” Nolby said about her dad.
Erika and her older brother Seth were tested for the genetic marker in January of 2014. A few months later, Erika was faced with a decision that would end her running career or put her life in danger, but with help and guidance from her doctors and parents, Nolby started to cut back on her training. She traded her nine mile runs for shorter distances and became a great supporter of her fellow teammates and an admirable leader.
In the midst of her success Nolby dreamt of running for a D1 or D2 school on scholarship.
“If I’m this good, why wouldn’t I run in college?” Nolby wondered.
However, after being marked with the gene for ARVC and leaving running competitively in her past, Nolby switched her focus to a future at Bethel University studying Elementary Education. The genetic marker may have taken running from Nolby, but she didn’t let it steal her happiness.
“In high school running was my life and what I did, and I always had it,” Nolby said. “But it helped me realize that sports aren’t my whole life and that I can get a job and do other things.”
Nolby clung to that truth as she developed new hopes and dreams in college.
In the Spring of 2020, she will graduate with a degree in Elementary Education with a Stem Minor and Pre-Primary Endorsement. She hopes to get a full-time teaching position after graduation.
“But I wouldn’t change the running outcome. I’m proud of who I am and the work that I do with kids and that wouldn’t be the same if my identity was still found in my running career.” — Erika Nolby
Nolby’s future is not tainted by this genetic marker. It has not stopped her from stepping onto the treadmills in Bethel’s Wellness Center. It hasn’t kept her from wandering over to the Student Recreation Center late at night to play club volleyball, soccer or basketball with her friends. And it has not stopped her from playing with the kids she watches in the Child Development Center.
“I would change not having the gene because I don’t want a heart disease when I’m older,” Nolby said. “But I wouldn’t change the running outcome. I’m proud of who I am and the work that I do with kids and that wouldn’t be the same if my identity was still found in my running career.”
Graphic information: Timeline/List of Accomplishments | Erika Nolby’s Accolades.
Track: Rookie of the year — 2011, Lettered 5 years, All conference 3 years, State Participant 2 years, All-state Academic Team Captain, 1600 Meter Conference Champion, 3200 Meter Conference Champion, 3200 Meter Section Champion. Broken Records in 1600 meter, 3200 meter, 4X8 meter relay
Cross Country: Lettered 6 years, All conference 5 years, All conference honorable mention 1 year, MVP 1 year, Team Captain 3 years.
Graphic information: Quote Collection |Nolby Gets Noticed .
Graphic information: Information Box |What is ARVC.
- Around 1 in 10,000 people are thought to have ARVC.
- A child of an affected parent will have a 50% chance of inheriting the gene mutation.
- A problem with the proteins that hold heart muscle cells together causes these cells to be lost and replaced by fibrous scar tissue and fatty cells, causing the ventricle walls to become thin.
- ARVC can affect the electrical activity of the heart and causes arrhythmias.
- Although exercise is often recommended for people with a heart condition, it can trigger arrhythmias and heart failure symptoms, and can be dangerous if the condition is unstable.
- Exercise for people with ARVC needs to be considered carefully, and be part of a discussion between the individual and their cardiologist or specialist nurse.
Source: https://www.cardiomyopathy.org/arrhythmogenic-right-ventricular-cardiomyopathy/intro
