A life-altering stroke couldn’t keep a Minneapolis triathlete from her passion
By Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield
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MINNESOTA (WCCO) — North Minneapolis resident Kate Varns is a bonafide Ironman, meaning she’s finished the toughest of toughest triathlons. It features a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride, then a full 26.2-mile marathon.
But after surviving a stroke several years ago, that accomplishment paled in comparison to what laid ahead.
“My parents started us young, which I’m so grateful for,” said Kate Varns. “When my brother and I were little, they really fostered a love of getting outside whenever we could. Just kind of climb around on trails and stuff like that. Then in high school, it was more formalized, where my brother and I got involved in cross country and track, and that was where it really took off.”
Maine is where Kate Varns grew up, Minnesota is the place she’s grown to appreciate, and husband Glenn Varns is the Minnesotan she’s grown to love after meeting in college.
“Her superpower is infectious enthusiasm. You’ve always had a pretty amazing, positive attitude,” said Glenn Varns. “And it’s not everything, but it counts for a lot.”
And that try-anything attitude got her to try something new as an adult.
“Glenn knew that I wanted to get involved in triathlon, being a runner by background. I had no swim background. Like, the first two years were heavy into swimming because, again, I just really needed to start from the ground up. And so we would swim in the pool, we would transfer to a stationary bike and then we would run on the indoor track. So it was a nice, kind of gentle way of kind of getting into it,” she said. “It was just exciting. I had gotten just really excited by just watching triathlon videos on YouTube and things like that, and watching the [Ironman World Championship] in Hawaii was a whole other thing.”
In 2018, she achieved her goal.
“I really believe the best thing about triathlon for adults is it gives summer back for adults, because, you know, you’re swimming in lakes, you’re taking nice bike rides, you’re running in pretty areas with friends, like parks and things like that, so it’s like a kid again,” she said.
The Varns were fully immersed in an endurance athlete community. But one night Kate Varns went to bed, and woke up as a different person.
“She couldn’t move her left side. Her face was drooping on the left side. It was pretty obvious to me what was going on,” said Glenn Varns. “As soon as I realized that she couldn’t stand up on her own, that’s when I knew we had to activate things quickly.”
A doctor himself with Allina Health, he sprung into action despite his shock.
“Kate was a, is an incredibly healthy person, and so we did have, and still kind of do, have this floating, like, uncertainty, of like why? Why did this all happen to her?” he said.
“I remember waking up at some point and being made aware that my left side was paralyzed, that I’d had a stroke, and I remember at some point, I had no idea when, waking up and just panicking, thinking, ‘But my walks, I love my daily morning walks. How am I going to do it?'” she said.
After months in hospitals, she ended up at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Center, relearning what she had once mastered.
“That was actually a relief, because by that time I thought I’m going crazy. I have to move. I want to move. I need to do something,” she said. “And I told the therapist that, that I said, ‘Just so you know, for your peace of mind, I am used to working out more than once a day, so I want to get working and doing something.’ So I welcomed the therapy.”
And one day she welcomed an unexpected idea: to sign up for a triathlon six months later. It’s all thanks to her training buddy, Kim.
“I was just saying, ‘Oh, I don’t know how it’s going to happen. I really want to get back to triathlon.’ She said, ‘Have you ever thought about competing as a para-athlete?’ And my first thought was like, ‘Well, what does that involve?’ So we talked about it and learned more about it, and I watched some videos,” she said.
And with the help of her swimming buddy/husband, and a tandem bike, Kate Varns did the impossible once again — finishing a YMCA triathlon.
“I am so extremely proud of it, but I just kind of choke up thinking about it, but having had a stroke and been hospitalized for weeks and months, and then coming back on the race course, that was indescribable,” she said. “It was harder in many ways than Ironman.”
“Her superpower is infectious enthusiasm, and to just see that shine through all the time, and the way that you’ve gone through processing that fear and like, ‘Yeah, I can still do that,'” said Glenn Varns.
And that is exactly what she’s doing: training, and resting and prepping for what’s next. Because Kate Varns isn’t afraid of a challenge — she’s become a friend to it.
“There were days when I just had to tell myself, ‘Just keep moving forward.’ And that became kind of my mental mantra,” she said.
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