When Shawna Ryan was young, she was told she would never be able to participate in sport.
Ryan, who turns 50 this month, was born with cataracts in both eyes. “At that time — way, way back in 1974 — they certainly didn’t have the surgeries that they have now,” she says. “So I’m left with significantly reduced vision. But I make it work. I’m all about adaptation.”
Adaptation led Ryan to two Paralympic Games (for goalball in 2008 and tandem cycling in 2016) and has allowed her to thrive as a mother, occupational therapist and runner. Now, with her 50th birthday approaching, Ryan is taking part in a personal running challenge — Shawna’s Fitness Fundraiser at 50 — to celebrate being active and show others that a physically active lifestyle is possible even in the face of barriers.
Under her self-assigned rules, Ryan started running five kilometres a day on Sept. 28 and will wrap up a 50-day run streak on Nov. 16, the day before she rings in a new decade. Along the way, she’s encouraging others to run with her and is raising money for the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre.
“It really just shows that, given the right opportunity, given the right encouragement, and given the right drive, our limitations aren’t always what we think they are,” Ryan says, “Boundaries can be challenged and limits that you think you have can be exceeded.”
Ryan was introduced to goalball — a sport exclusive to athletes with visual impairments — in her 20s by decorated Paralympian Amy Alsop. After the birth of her two daughters, she went looking for a new challenge and discovered tandem cycling through an opportunity provided by Cycling Canada with the support of Frank Matus with the Saskatchewan Cycling Association. Along the way, running became a regular part of her life not only as a means of cross training, but also as a way to process grief after her father completed suicide in 2002.
“A few of my friends who I worked with in health care really got me going on running being a coping strategy,” Ryan says. “After that, it just sort of remained a part of my life.”
While Ryan always enjoys company on her runs, she doesn’t need a guide to get outside and knows how to adapt to stay safe. She’s always alert and doesn’t listen to music, tends to stick to familiar routes and makes sure she is visible to everyone around her. “I abandoned fashion long ago,” she says.
Her inspiration for Shawna’s Fitness Fundraiser at 50 came from her friend, Jackie Kivol, who in 2020 celebrated her 50th birthday by running 50 km to raise money for the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre.
“The issue of food security for everyone is really top of mind. Sometimes it’s very obvious that people are in need, but there’s a lot of people also struggling in silence with issues of food insecurity,” Ryan says. “I just feel very passionate that we need to help people meet their basic needs. And unfortunately, it’s not getting any easier for anyone.”
Throughout her fundraiser, Ryan has been posting daily on her personal Facebook page to let people know how her runs have gone and where and when she will be running next so people can join her if they are able. She’s been humbled by the number of people who have made time to join her for some or part of her runs, and knows her journey has even resonated with those who haven’t made it out. “People will come up to me and say: ‘I wasn’t going to do anything today but then I saw your post and got on the treadmill and did a couple of kilometres’ or ‘I decided to go take the dog for a walk because I saw your post and just thought I should be active.'”
Anyone who wants to join Ryan on a run — or is just looking for some inspiration to get out the door — can follow her on her personal Facebook page. She already knows her second-last run on Nov. 15 will depart from the Food Bank and Learning Centre. Those looking to give to the Food Bank in her name can do so through the Food Bank’s fundraising page and selecting “Shawna 50th Fund Birthday.”
And after that? Ryan may let her run streak lapse, but says she still plans to run regularly through the winter and is eyeing a spring half marathon.
“A lot of people tend to think — myself included — that having a family at home that’s very busy and on the go with parents working, that it simply isn’t possible to stay active and to stay fit,” she says. “And I think I’m proving to myself that this can be done very regularly with some good planning and understanding, good communication and support.”
