Harrow woman overcomes eating disorder to run in Detroit Free Press Marathon

Runner overcomes eating disorder Local runner overcomes eating disorder to compete in the Detroit Free Press Marathon. CTV Windsor’s Bob Bellacicco reports.

A 29-year-old Harrow woman is ready to take on the Detroit Free Press Marathon for the first time, but it was a journey to get to this point.

Meghan Howell says she loves running.

“It was a long road. A lot of very low moments. I'd leave BANA just crying,” says Howell.

Howell says she endured an eating disorder that began in 2012 as a college athlete in London.

“I wanna share my story so that other people feel they're not alone,” she says.

“It was something that all of a sudden I started getting into these bad behaviours where I wanted to under eat and over exercise.”

There was an eagerness to be leaner and smaller that led Howell down a path of depression. After leaving Fanshawe, Howell worked for five years and returned to school at St. Clair where she made the cross country team.

“Had my eating disorder but I tried to hide it from my coaches because I wanted to be seen as an athlete and not somebody who had an eating disorder but eventually that caught up to me,” says Howell.

Howell qualified for nationals but coaches sidelined her because of recurring injuries and heart issues stemming from her disorder.

“That was kinda the turning point when something you love is taken away from you.”

Luciana Rosu-Sieza, executive director of BANA Windsor says athletes venture through their doors. “There's a lot of pressure I think for them to sort of conform to a certain body image so we see that in certain sports,” said Rosu-Sieza who helps people get the treatment they need, which she points out is a process and lifelong commitment. “Participating in physical activity. Participating in eating in a normal setting and socially as well. That's why it's a lifelong journey. However, recovery is possible.”

After college, Howell says it was a hard road to recovery but she returned to competition last year with a vengeance. She ran her first Boston Marathon, is going to Detroit Sunday and competed in her first Ironman this past summer qualifying for the world championships in Kona, Hawaii next year.

“So those are yeah, things I never thought would be possible when I was struggling with my eating disorder but now being strong and healthy, not just physically but mentally as well. It's definitely exciting and I'm super happy.