By Nathan Quin
Sarah and Michele
It’s daybreak on one of the coldest mid-winter mornings of the year. While most folks in town have yet to rise and face the frigid morning, Pickerington resident Sarah Seither is already several miles into her daily run and burning with purpose.
No podcasts, no music, nothing to distract her from the moment, Seither marks the passing minutes with a soundtrack of soft, rhythmic footfalls and steady breaths.
“It’s a moving meditation,” Seither says. “It’s a way to get out there, think your thoughts, recognize whatever feelings come up, harness them, hold on to the good, work through the bad, and then just let it go.”
More than just a chance for introspection, Seither has used her running as a way to renew her sense of self-love and commemorate the life of her mother, Ann. Since 2014, Seither has raised over $41,000 for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
“For me, there’s always something bigger than myself, which is what gets me out the door,” she says. “It’s a way for me to give back to my community.”
Seither’s mother, Ann, was a NICU nurse in Dayton who regularly worked 90-plus-hour weeks and cared deeply for her fragile young patients. More than a job, Ann saw her work as a calling and a chance to set an example for Seither and her four siblings.
Ann practiced that love and acceptance with Seither as well. When Seither came out as gay during her teenage years, Ann cherished her unconditionally and encouraged her to move to central Ohio, where she believed Seither would be more comfortable and accepted.
“I could talk all day about my mom,” Seither beams. “She was an angel among us.”
Sadly, Ann died from a heart attack just a few years later when Seither was just 19.
Seither was heartbroken, and began to struggle with drug and alcohol abuse. But she unwittingly took a positive step forward in her journey when she tried to impress a cute girl.
Before meeting Michele Faith, Seither never had an interest in running, despite playing soccer and several other sports growing up. When Faith challenged her to complete a 5K race, though, she rose to the challenge.
As the races progressed from 5Ks to marathons, so too did their relationship. Thirteen years later, the couple is happily married.
“We always had so much fun because we would just goof off,” Faith says of those early races. “Our first 10K together, we were halfway through and kind of struggling a little, so we just started singing. Then the other people around us started singing, too. We were having a good time.”
In 2014 when signing up for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Half Marathon, Seither seized the opportunity to use her new passion for running to honor her mother's legacy. Seither committed to be a children’s champion fundraiser and raised $1,400 in donations for the hospital.
The following year, Seither doubled down and ran the full marathon, collecting $3,000 in donations. Now, she strives to raise at least $5,000 every year for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital NICU, all in her mother’s name.
“I just see the impact of the children’s hospital on so many of my friends and their families,” Seither says. “It’s just a very important place in our community to help our kids grow and help them be healthy. I want to give back to that. I don’t have kids of my own; I’m not going to personally benefit from it. But it helps me honor my mom and keep her legacy alive.”
However, an unforeseen hurdle tripped up what otherwise felt like a victory lap. In 2018, Faith was diagnosed with breast cancer. Faith has since recovered, but the unexpected turn of events took its toll on Seither, and she once again turned to alcohol to help cope with the stress.
As Faith’s health improved over time, Seither’s was on the decline.
“I was making myself very physically ill,” Seither recalls. “Stomach pains, heart issues. There were many, many nights of chest pains and heavy breathing.”
Finally, with the support and encouragement of her wife, Seither was able to step back, see the similarities with her past struggles and realize that, without an immediate course correction, she was going to drink herself to death.
In summer 2020, Seither put down her drink for good. Two years later, daily exercise, a vegan diet and an improved lifestyle have Seither feeling fitter and at her healthiest.
“She will always be beautiful to me,” Faith says. “Yes, she looks amazing, but it’s not the weight loss to me. I feel like the mental and emotional changes outweigh the physical changes.”
Seither found the inspiration for her path of sobriety and healthier living through the stories of the people that had made the journey before her. And, as she began sharing her own story on social media, Seither discovered a community of sober runners all around the world working through their victories and their setbacks together.
She now shares every step of her journey with her followers and friends on social media, too. That helps keep her accountable to the goals she sets for herself and, Seither hopes, can provide an example for someone else.
What that example looks like for Seither is braving single-digit temperatures, crunching ice underfoot and battling razor-sharp winds that buffet her from every direction. With each rhythmic footfall, she honors her mother’s legacy, improves her health and lives by example for others.
“In this crazy little world, we are all in this together,” she says. “If there are small steps we can take that make a positive impact on somebody else’s life, we should do that. We should just help each other out, whatever that looks like.”
Nathan Quin is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
