A little bit about me:
Hi! My name is Sierra von Wehrenberg, and I’m running the 2025 Chicago Marathon as part of the American Heart Association "Run With Heart" team. This race is about more than just crossing the finish line—it’s a chance for me to challenge myself, raise awareness for heart health, and support a cause that means a lot to me.
I’m 22 years old, originally from Marietta, Georgia, and now living in Boston, Massachusetts. Running has always been a huge part of my life, from running with my mom at a young age, to seven years of track and cross-country in grade school, to running casually in college.
My Story (part 1):
My sophomore year of college was a tough year for me, and I knew I had to set a personal goal to combat my stress, so I turned to the best form of therapy I knew - running. In June 2022, I ran a half marathon in Asheville, NC after training for a few months. Everything started off fine, but by mile 8, I felt pretty unstable, and by mile 9, I had to stop running and walk/jog the rest of the race. I still finished the race, but something was clearly wrong. My heart rate was in the 190-200 bpm range the entire time—even while walking. I knew it wasn’t normal, but no one could figure out what was going on. Eventually, a cardiologist discovered that I had contracted COVID-19 just before the race (which I didn't realize since I was asymptomatic) and that long COVID was affecting my heart. It had completely wiped out my cardio fitness in 4 days, and even simple activities like walking around campus left me feeling drained, with my heart rate spiking into the 160s. Due to the lack of research at the time, and even now, cardiologists had no idea when my heart would return back to 'normalcy', or if it even would.
What is Long COVID?
Long COVID is a condition where people continue to experience symptoms long after the acute phase of a COVID-19 infection has passed. While many recover in a few weeks, others face ongoing issues that can affect various parts of the body, especially the heart, lungs, and nervous system. The impact can be different for everyone, but for me, long COVID led to serious heart-related symptoms, including a higher heart rate and physical instability even after doing minimal activity. It took away much of the fitness I had built up over the years and left me struggling to do everyday tasks.
My Story (part 2):
Hearing that my health would take an indeterminable time to recover was discouraging, especially at 19 years old. I had been so used to pushing myself in my running, and suddenly, everything felt impossible. I took a break from running for nearly two years, focusing instead on alternative forms of exercise like low-impact workouts, weight training, and HIIT to avoid further stressing my heart. While it was difficult to let go of something that had been such a core part of my identity, I knew it was necessary for my recovery. It's been 2 years and 7 months of learning how to exercise with different parameters, and checking my heart rate every few minutes in every workout. Zone-based training has been a critical part of my recovery, but it looks very different for me. Because my heart rate still runs higher than normal, even light activity can push me into zones that are challenging for most.
Starting training last month looks very different from what my running has looked like in the past, focusing on effort and progress rather than traditional metrics. I am still consistently monitoring my heart rate after so many months with no real standard of what my heart rate should look like, or when my training will be reflected in the BPM reading on my watch. I’ve worked hard to retrain my body and reframe my mindset, learning to accept setbacks as part of the journey rather than obstacles.
Running the 2025 Chicago Marathon is my way of proving to myself and others that health challenges don’t define us. I want to show that even when it feels like everything has changed, with time and determination, you can come back stronger. Beyond my own journey, heart disease runs in my family, so supporting the American Heart Association means even more to me. Your donations will not only help fuel my marathon journey, but they will also support research, education, and programs that are helping millions of people facing heart-related challenges. Being able to cross a finish line again would not only make the younger version of myself proud, but it would also be a way to honor her, along with my parents, family, friends, and coaches who have supported me through every step of my journey, no matter what it has looked like.
Thank you so much for supporting my journey and the American Heart Association. Your generosity and encouragement will mean the world to me as I run for heart health—and for everyone who needs a little extra hope along the way.
With heart,
Sierra
