When 61-year-old Gil Schaenzle got on the phone with Runner’s World, she mentioned she was suffering a case of shin splints. The reason? Schaenzle just finished a nine-month quest of running in 50 national parks all over the country to honor the life of her daughter. Anna Rose was just 21 years old when she passed away of neuroendocrine (NET) cancer.
Schaenzle and her daughter had planned to run the 50-park challenge together, but after Anna Rose passed away on March 26, 2017, Schaenzle decided to embark on it anyway, to follow through on the promise.
According to her mom, Anna Rose was a “good little sprinter” as she ran track and cross country in high school. Schaenzle, her husband Fred, and Anna Rose would often go outdoors to kayak, hike and explore the surrounding Colorado wilderness. Schaenzle and her husband were active all their lives, so there was a slight fear their only daughter would grow up to prefer the indoors.
“I back country skied with [Anna Rose] from the time she was just an infant, like three weeks old …. I’ve nursed her in an avalanche shoot,” Schaenzle said. “This poor baby didn’t stand a chance, she had to love the outdoors. And she did.”
Because Anna Rose was always so athletic, it was unusual when she started coming home from track and volleyball practices with strange symptoms. First it was numbness in her legs. Then, her legs actually started looking gray. That was followed by fainting spells and heart issues.
After seeing various doctors, the Schaenzles finally took Anna Rose to see a cardiologist in Vail, Colorado, who believed she had some sort of hyperactive sinus rhythm. A vascular specialist in Grand Junction diagnosed her leg issues as popliteal artery entrapment, and recommended they seek out an expert in that kind of condition.
They found Dr. Black at Johns Hopkins. He discovered that the disease was not only trapping Anna Rose’s arteries in both legs, but also major veins and major nerves as well. After two surgeries and a month-long stay at the hospital, the Schaenzle family thought Anna Rose was good to go. They went home to Colorado, and Schaenzle made a checkup appointment, just in case.
Three days after the visit, the family got a phone call: All the symptoms Anna Rose had been experiencing in the months prior were actually all connected. They were due to stage 4 NET cancer.
After seeing an NET specialist based out of Denver, Anna Rose underwent surgery to remove about 10 pounds of tumors from her abdomen. Her internal organs had to be completely rearranged, since tumors had destroyed her spleen, squished her kidney down to about a half-inch tall, and moved her liver to the left side of her body.
But Anna Rose fought, and she fought hard. After a ten-hour surgery, she was in the ICU for four days. After 11 more days in the hospital, Anna Rose went home.
“Most people die from that surgery,” Schaenzle said. “My husband and I both felt like everyone on the floor should have stood up and cheered when she left because it was unbelievable the strength this kid had.”
Schaenzle remembers an especially hard day for Anna Rose, when she was throwing up nonstop. Schaenzle would comfort her by snuggling with her, rubbing her feet, and singing softly. Finally she said, “You know honey, I have this crazy idea…”
The idea came from when Schaenzle broke her ankle in a half marathon prior to Anna Rose’s sickness. She had shattered the cartilage and was in physical therapy in Vail, frustrated with her inability to run. As the desire to recover and run grew and grew during physical therapy, Schaenzle started to think about running in 50 national parks.
She credits her drive and stamina to a “little voice” that told her to not give up several years ago, when Anna Rose was in high school. For many years prior, Schaenzle suffered from a variety of health issues, including a Hashimoto’s autoimmune disease and various injuries, keeping her wild and active heart at bay.
But one day as Schaenzle was taking a walk, she heard “a little voice” that encouraged her to pick up the pace, even just for a few moments. That moment kick started what would be Schaenzle triumphant reentry into the running world, as she ran her first 10K in years a month later, and then her first half marathon a month later.
“If I hadn’t listened to that little voice…I would not have had that ability to see something like [the national park campaign] through. I wouldn’t have had the stamina to do this,” Schaenzle said. “It’s just listening to those taps on the shoulder and little voices that say, ‘Don’t listen to the negative. You can do this.’”
Fast forward to Schaenzle, cuddled up with her sick daughter, and choosing once again to listen to the small voice rather than fear. She proposed her idea to Anna Rose and said, “You’re going to beat this thing, you’re going to get better, and you can drive the SEG vehicle for me, wouldn’t that be fun?” But Anna Rose said, “No.”
“’I’m going to run them all with you,’” Schaenzle remembers Anna Rose saying. “The resolve in her voice was undeniable. She was so sick…but she was so strong.”
Unfortunately, Anna Rose wouldn’t make it to the start line. After returning home, she went through intense rounds of chemo, fighting for her life. She lost her battle with cancer on March 26, 2017.
Schaenzle decided the best way she knew how to honor her daughter was by fulfilling the promise of running in 50 national parks. And the decision to run for nine months wasn’t a coincidence, either.
“I carried her for nine months. Her worst symptoms were nine months before her diagnosis. Her diagnosis to death was nine months,” Schaenzle said. “I started this campaign nine months after she died, and I finished nine months after I started.”
Her first run was through Mammoth Cave in Kentucky on November 10, 2017, which also is National NET Cancer Awareness Day. Depending on her schedule and her body’s recovery, Schaenzle ran distances ranging from 5Ks to half marathons. Sometimes she ran with friends, family, and other supporters—other times she ran alone. She finished the quest with a half marathon in Denver’s Rocky Mountain National Park on August 4.
Schaenzle said the support for her mission was overwhelming, and has met numerous NET Cancer patients. Each one is “the most amazing person,” and everyone she’s met resembles the strength and love she always saw in her little girl.
“I think we all need to be warriors like Anna,” Schaenzle said. “We all need to spread light and love to our corners of the world. Just help each other. I think she had what I called a butt-kicking way of spreading love to people. She loved everyone so much and made a difference in the lives she touched.”
After a summer internship with Runner’s World in 2017, McGee has somehow convinced the team to let her keep writing for them as a freelancer. Her work for both Runner’s World and Bicycling consists mostly of news and human interest pieces. Her favorite stories to tell are ones of “ordinary” people doing extraordinary things through running and cycling, whether accomplishing personal goals, overcoming severe trials, or transforming their communities. Her writing has also appeared on ACTIVE and Paste Magazine. When she’s not running or eating, you can probably find her still eating.
