On Monday Katie Bartel slipped back into street clothes after spending the weekend as a superhero.
She didn't wear a cape, or a mask to hide her identity. But she did wear tights.
That's because it was cool in Minneapolis-St. Paul where Bartel participated in the Twin-Cities 10-Mile Run as a Medtronic Global Hero.
Bartel was one of 25 heroes from around the world selected by the medical device manufacturer to run in Sunday's race, or the full Twin-Cities Marathon, as role models of health and fitness despite living with medical challenges. Bartel, 37, has had Type 1 diabetes since she was nine years old and for the past six years she's worn an insulin pump to control her blood sugars.
Other runners in this year's contingent of Global Heroes, who came from as far away as Zambia, Moscow and New Zealand, require pacemakers, artificial heart valves and implanted electronic stimulators to stay alive or to control chronic debilitating conditions.
But that hasn't stopped them from leading active lives as runners and triathletes.
Bartel started running eight years ago and she got an insulin pump two years later to give her more precise control of her disease during training and races. She's completed two marathons, nine half marathons and numerous 10K and 5K runs.
Bartel had applied twice previously to become a Global Hero, which involved submitting an essay outlining how she uses an active lifestyle to better manage her condition. But the New Westminster resident said getting picked this year was special because it's the program's 10th anniversary and previous Global Heroes were travelling from all over the world to celebrate and support the current crop.
Bartel said the stories the heroes past and present were able to share through the weekend were inspiring and humbling.
"When you see these people, they all have their different challenges, but they're pushing forward, they're doing things to better their lives," she said. "They're not being defined by their medical problems."
The heroes also got a chance to tour Medtronic's headquarters, located on a campus on the outskirts of the Twin Cities, where they were able to meet scientists and engineers working on new technology to make medical devices better, more reliable and less intrusive. That was particularly important for Bartel, whose four-year-old nephew was recently diagnosed with Type 1.
"I was excited for me but I was more excited for my nephew; all these advances will benefit him," said Bartel. "This weekend was as much about him as it was about me."
But the highlight of the weekend filled with mixers and banquets was the race that wound around numerous lakes in Minneapolis before crossing the Mississippi River into St. Paul, skirted the huge Cathedral of St. Paul and finished in front of the State Capitol.
Bartel said the heroes, who wore special singlets to stand out from the crowd of more than 20,000 runners, were cheered and celebrated every step.
Bartel said she may not have set a personal best time, but the run will forever be a personal highlight.
"It was energizing," she said. "I couldn't stop smiling."
Mario Bartel, who is Katie's husband, is a longtime professional photographer/journalist in New Westminster and Burnaby.
