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LEXINGTON — She wasn’t a runner yet, but a half marathon announcement piqued Dawn Lundgren’s interest because of the cause. Money from the race would raise awareness for digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Lundgren will travel to Las Vegas next week to participate in the 13.1 mile Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon.  She is one of 58 members of Team Challenge, a national team comprised of people who are from rural locations.

Lundgren said, “A lot of people run in honor of others, but there are some of us who actually have the conditions who are doing it, too.”

Lundgren started training more than a year ago, ran her first 5K last fall and has run in several other races since. The half-marathon will be Lundgren’s longest race, but she doesn’t plan on it being her last. She is already planning to run in another half marathon in Lincoln in May with her family cheering her on.

“For me, a big part of it is going out there and coming back,” Lundgren said of the trip to Las Vegas. Because of the expense, she will travel alone.

Lundgren said she committed to a tough training schedule and works with a team trainer through e-mails and weekly conference calls. A friend who was a runner in high school, Stacey Con, gives support and occasionally runs with her. Sometimes Lundgren’s children ride their bikes and act as her water crew.

Lundgren was in college in 1994 when she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. She had surgeries in 1994 and 2005 to remove diseased portions of her digestive tract. “They assure me I have lots of intestine to work with.”

Lundgren spent 10 to 14 days in the hospital with each surgery, followed by a six- to eight-week recovery. It was discouraging to see a heart transplant patient up and about the day after surgery, she said.

Lundgren suffers from both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

“It’s impacted my health because there were several periods, when it was really bad, that I wasn’t able to work outside my home.”

The illness causes discomfort and also an inability to derive nutrition from foods.

Lundgren said her illness is more manageable now. Although she still has some of the same symptoms, they don’t hold her back. “I used to think, ‘Oh, woe is me,’ but I don’t do that anymore.”

She takes two medications — one consists of a daily dosage of 16 pills — to keep things in remission and avoid flare ups.

The medicines, which cost about $600 per month, would be expensive without insurance, she said.

Her husband, Jeff, switched from farming to working for All Points Cooperative about 10 years ago to gain family health coverage. She owns Lundgren’s Catering and BBQ.

“I love it,” she said of her work. “I love that prepping everything up, spending the whole day making the room look pretty for people to come. I feed off that.”

She said preparing for a large group is rewarding, not intimidating. Her host parents in college were in charge of campus dining and she assisted them in many facets, even making ice sculptures.

Lundgren said her work includes periods of “go, go, go” followed by time to regroup.

A prime rib dinner at the District 22 Event Center, a former school building Lundgren purchased, was one fundraiser she conducted for her $3,800 to participate in the Crohn’s and colitis Team Challenge. She also wrote family, friends and church members and set up a post on Facebook.

Lundgren said 83-cents of each dollar donated goes to research and patient support.

As word has spread, Lundgren has learned of others in the area who share her condition. Normally it is not talked about much, she said. “Who wants to hear about people throwing up and running to the bathroom?”

Lundgren said many people avoid diagnosis due to embarrassment.

Lundgren has participated in Relay for Life for many years. It has become another involvement.

Lundgren said running has also become a personal challenge. “I do this partly for personal growth. I like it because I feel better physically. Being outdoors is time with God, just pounding the pavement. You do a lot of thinking and a lot of praying.”

e-mail to:

betsy.friedrich@kearneyhub.com.

How to Help 

Donations towards the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America can be sent to Dawn Lundgren at 76026 Road 432, Lexington, NE 68850.