BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
EDISON — On the track team at Edison High School, Stephanie Zundel, who lost her eyesight when she developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome at a young age, said she had actually developed a fear of running.
It was not anybody’s fault.
Zundel, a 2013 Edison High graduate, said she has always been active and into exercise and decided to join the track team her junior year to be part of a team sport. She did not run any races, but practiced with the team.
“My friends would guide me,” she said.
However, without any training, there were a few mishaps.
“One time, I ran into a pole. Another time, my friend had said ‘Go’; however, she did not mean at that moment and I ran into the bleachers,” she said.
Five years later, Zundel, now 22 and a senior at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, has the support she needs through Achilles International, which has paired her with guides Amy Harris and Harvey Freeman from the Nashville chapter.
With their support, Zundel completed the 121st annual Boston Marathon in 5 hours and 9 minutes on April 17.
“It was a great experience,” she said. “It was tough with rolling hills and it was hot [with temperatures reaching 75 degrees]. We set out at 11:15 a.m., which was the hottest part of the day. It did get cooler when we ran, but by that time I already had heat exhaustion.”
This is Zundel’s second marathon, having ran in the New York City Marathon in November.
“I had to run under five hours during the New York City Marathon to qualify for the Boston Marathon,” she said. “I ran the New York City marathon in 4 hours and 50 minutes.”
It was during sophomore year at Vanderbilt University when Zundel and her fear of running faced a crossroad.
“My best friends were running the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville and asked me if I was interested in joining them,” she said.
Zundel said she was hesitant. At that moment, she said she couldn’t even run a mile let alone 13 miles.
With a little bit more nudging, Zundel said that her competitive side prevailed over whatever fear she developed in high school.
“I wanted to get on a consistent running schedule and was told about Achilles International,” she said.
Achilles International, headquartered in New York, enables people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream running events in order to promote personal achievement.
Through the organization, Zundel found her support through Harris and Freeman, who have helped guide her through her training runs, 5Ks, 10Ks, 15Ks and eventually through the marathons.
“I lock elbows with Amy or Harvey and off we go,” she explained.
Zundel said she does not let her blindness prevent her from doing anything.
“Disabilities do not disable a person,” she said. “Disabilities enable us to accomplish our goals in a different way. There’s always another way.”
Zundel does not see her blindness as a setback.
“In fact, it motivates me to achieve more,” she said.
At age three, she said she developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which is a rare, serious disorder of the skin and mucous membranes, after an allergic reaction to a children’s pain medicine.
Zundel said she always was active. She is a black belt in karate. She is also an avid boxer, who routinely gets a tough cardio workout on the heavy bag, speed bag and double-end bag at her kickboxing gym in Nashville.
The Boston Marathon is considered one of the country’s more difficult races, through eight hilly Massachusetts cities and towns. Among the 30,000-plus participants, there were a few hundred mobility-impaired athletes, some who are visual impaired and others who use crutches, hand-cycles and push-rim wheelchairs.
Zundel’s parents Charles, an Edison police officer, and Kimberly were on hand to support her in Boston.
“The Edison Police Department has been so supportive,” she said. “They sponsored the funds so that my parents could make the trip to see me. They were at mile 17 cheering me on.”
Michael Schwarz, president of Edison Police Benevolent Association Local 75, said the union helped defray Zundel’s travel expenses.
“I’ve known Stephanie most of her life,” Schwarz said. “She was an Edison Junior Police Academy cadet when I was an instructor. She is an inspiration to anyone who knows her, including me and my family.”
Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan said he cannot think of a more amazing young person to represent Edison Township in the Boston Marathon.
“When Stephanie sets her mind to something, she is unstoppable,” said Bryan, who has known Zundel since she was 10 and began studying martial arts at Bryan’s karate school in Edison.
Edison Mayor Thomas Lankey plans to honor Zundel with a proclamation for her achievements.
Zundel said she will continue to run races, but will put a full marathon on hold for now. She said she graduates this month with a bachelor’s degree in child studies and begins work this fall toward her master’s degree in school counseling at Vanderbilt.
Contact Kathy Chang at kchang@newspapermediagroup.com.
