603. Kristin McQueen, 24-Time Marathoner & 20-Time Ironman with Trigeminal Neuralgia (with Co-Host Keira D'Amato)

Ali on the Run Show

Ali Feller

Fitness, Sports, Running, Health & Fitness

4.9 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 17 January 2023

⏱️ ? minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"My why is bigger than myself. My why is for all the people I'm racing for and raising funds for. My why is for all the angels on my angel list. And my why is for everyone that's been told they can't do something. Because who says you can't?"

Last month, professional runner Keira D'Amato hosted a week's worth of giveaways on Instagram. The fifth and final prize: an appearance on the Ali on the Run Show! The giveaway received 550 entries, and after reading every single one of them (twice!), Keira and I selected 24-time marathoner and 20-time Ironman triathlete Kristin McQueen as the winner.

Meet Kristin. She's a 43-year-old from Illinois, and she is living with trigeminal neuralgia — a chronic illness she calls "Stabby Joe." ("They say it's the worst pain known to man," says Kristin, who is in near-constant pain.) In 2003, Kristin was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and since then, she's had more than 30 surgeries, including dozens of brain surgeries. She has had to re-learn how to walk and ride a bike, she has a paralyzed vocal cord, she lost hearing on her right side, and she can only see out of her left eye. Her medical history is long and complicated — but she's never stopped fighting. In addition to her many athletic accomplishments, Kristin has also raised nearly $210,000 for the American Cancer Society. (You can donate here.)

All that, plus a 15-minute catch-up with Keira (she's officially in training mode!) to kick things off.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Allie on the Run Show.
0:07.0	I am your host Allie Felor and I am so happy that you're here.
0:11.0	Today's conversation is super special and not just because I have a co-host.
0:16.0	Yeah, that's right.
0:17.0	Returning favorite Kira Debato, she is the brains behind this whole operation today.
0:22.0	Now, we'll share that story once we get into it, but short version,
0:25.0	Kira hosted a contest on Instagram where the winner got to be a guest on the Allie on the Run Show.
0:31.0	After reading every single entry twice and creating a shared spreadsheet,
0:37.0	Kira and I selected Kristen McQueen as the winner.
0:41.0	Kristen is 43 years old.
0:43.0	She lives in Illinois.
0:45.0	She is a 24-time marathoner and a 20-time Iron Man finisher.
0:51.0	Now, that alone is pretty darn impressive.
0:54.0	She's also doing it all with trigeminal neuralgia.
0:58.0	This is a chronic condition that affects the fifth cranial nerve or, as Kristen calls it,
1:04.0	stabby Joe.
1:06.0	Kristen is in near constant pain.
1:09.0	She's had more than 30 surgeries over the past two decades dating back to 2003
1:15.0	when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
1:18.0	She has since endured dozens of brain surgeries.
1:21.0	She's had to relearn how to walk and ride a bike.
1:24.0	She's only able to sleep for a few hours at a time.
	...

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