Mizzou’s Megan Cunningham masters her road to recovery

May 23--COLUMBIA, Mo. -- It would be remarkable for Mizzou long-distance runner Megan Cunningham to compete at the Division I level considering what she's been through: Three years ago this summer she survived a horrific car accident that fractured her skull and broke her neck. The crash left her father paralyzed. Cunningham's running career should have ended right then and there along Interstate 70 in the middle of Kansas.

Instead, slowly but painstakingly surely, Cunningham has regained her footing. As the fifth-year senior finishes the final lap in her college career, she's not just competing in races. She's dusting the competition.

Marc Burns watches his now two-time Southeastern Conference champion every day in practice and still marvels at Cunningham's recovery.

"She goes from not being able to do anything, possibly not being able to walk again, to being so determined to walk, then to run," Mizzou's assistant track coach said Monday after a morning practice at Walton Stadium as the Tigers prepared for this week's NCAA Outdoor Championships prelims in Sacramento, Calif.

"It's a classic example of someone putting their head down," he continued, "working really hard, taking one day at a time and then, boom, all of a sudden the skies opened up and she was rolling."

On July 10, 2015, Cunningham was in the back seat of her family's Ford pickup on their way to Wyoming for a camping trip. Her mother, Denise, was driving. Her dad, Joe, was seated alongside. As Denise attempted to pass another vehicle along I-70, the trailer attached to their truck began to sway. Both truck and trailer skidded off the highway and overturned.

Luckily, there was a neurosurgeon on staff at the nearest hospital in Salina, Kan. Four days later, once the bleeding stopped in her brain, Cunningham had surgery to repair multiple skull fractures, plus a cervical spine fusion. She had just finished her second year as a walk-on runner for the MU track and cross country teams. An all-state runner at Eureka High School, Cunningham quickly thought ahead to the cross country season at Mizzou.

"When they brought my phone to me I remember saying I had to text Coach Burns to tell him I was going to have to redshirt for cross country," Cunningham said. "I was immediately thinking 'redshirt,' because I knew I was going to come back."

She suspected others thought it would be impossible to return to the track and someday race competitively. She wasn't about to accept that kind of verdict.

"That was the one positive thing I was holding on to," she said.

While Cunningham slowly recovered from her surgery, Joe's injuries were more severe. The accident left him paralyzed with limited use of his biceps. Denise had to leave her job to become Joe's primary caregiver. For 36 years, Joe worked at Otis Elevator Co. in St. Louis -- he helped build the elevators at Mizzou's Memorial Stadium and Jesse Hall -- and his company donated parts and labor to build a new elevator at their home in Pacific.

Back in Columbia, Cunningham sat out the 2015-16 cross country and track seasons. Nine months after the accident, she tried running for the first time and could barely complete a 200-meter workout. She still has lingering effects from the accident, including migraines, dizziness and heightened sensitivity to temperature changes.

"The hardest part was I had been in the midst of my highest mileage in summer training (before the accident) and then to not even be able to sit up in bed or feed myself," she said. "Coming back, my legs and arms were fine but my head was really holding me back."

"We took our time," Burns said. "We still do. Even when she warms up and doesn't feel right she knows it right away. We say, 'OK, let's back off and come back in two days to see if we can do this workout.' We've done that a number of times and it's worked well. We've always let her take what her body gives her on that day and make the most of it."

Last spring, Cunningham entered a few races during the indoor track season. Her breakthrough came during the outdoor season at the Drake Relays, where she finished 19th in the 5,000 meters with a personal-best time of 16 minutes, 45.48 seconds. Burns was blown away.

"She still wasn't able to finish many workouts yet," Burns said. "But when she did that we were like, 'Wow!'"

After the season, Cunningham faced a crossroads. She had one year left of eligibility. She could end her track career and move on to graduate school.

"She was running good," Denise said. "But it was time to move on."

The Cunninghams had $25,000 put aside from the insurance money that Megan could use for a new car or a fifth year of tuition at Mizzou. She wasn't done racing.

"I told my mom if I was going to stay I was going to put everything into it and make it worthwhile," she said.

"She felt she had more in the tank," Denise said. "I think she made the right choice."

That was obvious on Feb. 24, when Cunningham was first to cross the finish line in the 5,000 meters at the SEC Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas. She doubled her winnings earlier this month at the SEC Outdoor Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., cruising to the 10,000 meters title. On Thursday she'll compete in the 10,000 national prelims with a strong chance to qualify for next month's NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.

Her comeback story is enough to dazzle a more celebrated teammate.

"Just seeing how hard she works every day in practice," said five-time national champion long-distance queen Karissa Schweizer, "it's inspiring."

Cunningham's inspiration comes from another source. Traveling is difficult for Joe, but he's always on her mind as she's pounding out mile after mile.

"My dad reminds me every day that I'm doing it for fun," she said. "I'm not being paid. I'm not on scholarship. I'm doing this because it's something I like to do and I like to push myself. For me it's great to see the progress and see how I've bounced back from everything. ... If I can do this, he can bounce back as well."

After she runs her final race this summer, Cunningham's off to Eastern Virginia Medical School. Almost by chance, she made an impression on one of Joe's doctors, Richard Hotchkiss, who treated him first in the ICU and six months later for septic shock. He suggested the school in Norfolk, Va., and later wrote her a letter of recommendation. She wants to study orthopedics and sports medicine and dreams of becoming a team doctor in the NFL.

Don't bet against her.

"Honestly," Denise said, "I don't think anything can stop this girl. She's unbelievable."

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