Allison Nagy '14: 'I couldn’t let it be the end'

In the summer of 2019, five years after graduating from Augustana, Allison Nagy and Nikita Rohr ran together in the 3,260-mile MS Run the US Relay to support research for multiple sclerosis. Former track and cross country teammates, the friends ran segment 9 of the ultra relay from California to New York — 166 hot, grueling miles of Colorado and Nebraska, in six days. 

That was three years after Rohr had received her own diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. With Nagy's support, she was able to overcome the additional physical challenges she faced with each mile, every day. 

For Nagy, her friend’s diagnosis meant it was "no longer about racing against others, our best time or even the place we came in." Their goal was about getting to the finish line and crossing it.

"Over the past seven years, I've watched MS take control of her legs, but her mind is still so strong!" Nagy said. "I've watched how running has slowly become more and more difficult and unsafe. Unfortunately, today, her legs no longer allow running to be safe, but I couldn't let it be the end."

In July, Nagy will run segment 15 of the relay, 142 miles from Valparaiso, Ind., to Van Wert, Ohio, in five days. She’ll be running alone, though Rohr will be there to cheer her on. Nagy’s goal is the same: get to the finish line and cross it, in honor of her friend. She's also running to raise $10,000 to support "those incredible individuals living each day with MS."

Nagy has the Vikings tradition of perseverance and respect for the journey on her side. As legendary coach Paul Olsen used to say, "The journey is the goal."

It's a philosophy that can apply to many aspects of life, including a long friendship.