Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Jensen.
Hi Aaron, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
The shorter version is this. Near the end of 2013, I was weighing nearly 300 lbs, having various health issues that were affecting my day-to-day life. On a routine checkup is was diagnosed with high blood pressure and given a prescription to help with this. Walking out of the doctor’s office I made the decision at that point that I was going to be healthy and lose the excessive weight. I was only 36 and was too young to be put on medication. I started eating better foods and also portion control to prevent overeating.
In March 2014 I had lost around 40 pounds, my blood pressure had returned to normal and I was feeling much better physically so I began to include exercise in addition to better eating. I started with hiking and some light running. I would run during the work week and hike on the weekends. by the end of the summer of 2014, I had lost nearly 100 pounds and was summiting mountains regularly, still running, and had implemented strength training at the gym as well.
I had a friend and neighbor asked if I had considered running a 50-mile ultra race. At this point, I didn’t even know ultra-running existed. I was intrigued and signed up for the Antelope Island 50-mile Buffalo run ran in March of 2015. This was my first race of any distance I had attempted and finished in 10 hours and 13 minutes. I never thought I would continue doing these and figured it was a one-and-done type of thing.
Within 2 weeks after I would sign up for another 50-mile race held in June 2015, the SP50 in Provo Utah. I would finish this tough mountain course in 12 hours and 24 minutes. In the following 3 years, I would run six more 50-mile races, some marathons including 2 Boston qualifying times. I would also run three 100-mile races with Utah’s Wasatch 100 being my first in September 2016.
This is where the story takes an unexpected turn and a fight I didn’t see coming. In August 2018 I was in Leadville Colorado for my third 100-mile race, the legendary Leadville 100. I was fit, I was strong and feeling really good. This race would be my first DNF. It started with unknown to me at the time colon cancer symptoms at mile 30. They eventually got bad enough and concerning enough for me that I ended up dropping out of the race at mile 67.
I didn’t tell anybody the real reasons for dropping from the race and kept the health issues to myself. I chalked it up to my body just giving out on a tough race. I kind of had a fire lit from the DNF at Leadville and the start of my 2019 racing season was looking really good. The symptoms never went away but I continued ignoring them as I figured if I can run these ultra distances I can’t be sick.
I should have been seeing doctors but instead pushed forward. I raced the Antelope Island 50-mile buffalo run in March of 2019. The same course as my first race ever. I would finish in 8 hours 31 minutes, besting my 2015 time by nearly 1 hour 45 minutes. In April 2019, I flew to Boston to run the Boston marathon.
The cancer symptoms seemed to have flared up more and affected that race with fatigue and colon issues. I would finish but it hurt. I definitely knew something was wrong at that point but still chose to ignore it and not tell anybody about it. In February 2020 shortly before the pandemic would affect the world I ran the Black Canyon 100k. I finished that race but it went terribly as I was constantly having bowel and bathroom issues throughout the race. It was bad enough that I almost went to the doctor afterward but still chose to ignore it.
After the pandemic came into full force I wouldn’t race again that year because of things being shut down. I would just continue to train throughout 2020 to keep myself as fit as possible. Running and hiking were becoming hard and I wasn’t enjoying my time anymore. I would tell myself I was just getting older and needed to work through these tough times. I was doing all this while ignoring very obvious signs of colon cancer.
Near the end of 2020, it was too hard to ignore and I finally told my wife what had been going on. I went to the doctor and in January 2021 I went in for a colonoscopy. Immediately after that, the doctor told me he knew it was cancer and had the test performed that confirmed that. It was stage 3 colorectal cancer. I was told that the position and size of the tumor would make it very difficult to remove without me having to have a permanent colostomy bag for the rest of my life.
Me being only 43 at the time was not going to go forward with a colostomy bag as I thought that would ruin my life and it wouldn’t be worth living anyway. We started various cancer treatments in March 2021 in hopes of shrinking the tumor enough so that it could be removed and I could be reconnected back normally. Throughout the treatments, I would lose another 40 pounds and become very weak and thin.
I continued trying to run and work out to the best of my ability but ended up almost dropping all the running and only lifting very lightly at the gym. I had lost a lot of strength. I was finally done with chemo and radiation at the end of June 2021. I needed to wait 8-10 weeks before surgery to let the body heal from the radiation treatment.
In July 2021 I was told that the tumor hadn’t been affected enough and that total removal of my rectum, anus, and part of my colon would have to be removed. I would be sealed up in the back and given a permanent colostomy bag. I had very mixed emotions about going through with this but with finding out earlier in the year that I had a granddaughter on the way I wanted to live and see her grow up.
On August 10th, 2021 I had the surgery. I was second-guessing my decision all the way up to the operating room. I stayed in the hospital for 5 days after surgery learning how to handle the colostomy bag and dealing with the immense amount of pain. Before leaving the hospital I was told that the surgery was successful and cancer had been removed from my body, Halleluiah!
After I was released from the hospital I came home for a long bit of recovery. I couldn’t sit because of what the surgery entailed so I could lay down or walk. The doctor told me I needed to walk daily to help with recovery and with the inability to sit for very long and it is the only active thing I could do that became my thing. By week 7 post op I was walking around 70 miles per week just around the neighborhood on several walks per day.
My doctor told me no lifting over 5 pounds for the first 12 weeks post-op. He did tell me I could try some light running if it didn’t hurt so around week 8 post op I started to do short runs during my walks, like maybe 100 yards at a time. I was feeling stronger. In week 11 I felt strong and good enough to run 5-mile runs at an easy pace.
I signed up for Provo haunted half marathon in October 2021. 11 weeks post op I ran that half marathon in 1 hour 45 min, my first race with the permanent colostomy. The following week at my 12-week post-op checkup my surgeon released me from restrictions and I was free to start building back my strength.
I had signed up for the Bryce 100-mile ultra a couple of years ago and had deferred it for 2 years, once because of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 for the cancer battle. It was to take place the last weekend in May 2022 and my surgeon told me that if I felt that I could train for it to go for it. With it only being the beginning of November 2021 and that race still being months away I signed up for the Dead horse 30k in Moab that would be held only 15 weeks after surgery.
I ran that race with no complications with the colostomy so I decided I need at least one ultra distance race before attempting the Bryce 100 in May 2022. I signed up for the Red Mountain 55K in St. George to be my comeback Ultra and to keep learning about running with a colostomy bag. I ran Red Mountain in March 2022 and took 20th overall. My body was feeling strong without cancer in it.
The adjustment to the new lifestyle and colostomy was coming along very well. I trained and felt better than I had felt in years for the Bryce 100. I had been told that by the size of the tumor that most likely it had been growing for 5 or so years. I seriously felt 5 or more years younger and definitely the best I had ever felt at any other time in my life.
I would run the Bryce 100 in May 2022 only 9 months after surgery and take 4th place overall. It was by far the best race performance in my short time as a runner starting in 2015. As I prepare to run my second 100 miler, the Wasatch 100 on September 9th, 2022 it is my hope that I can help others fight ailments or decide on getting a colostomy bag so that they can also fight through hard things.
I almost didn’t follow through with this because of having no knowledge of colostomy bags and letting my fear dictate to me. That would have been a grave mistake, I have my life back because of this surgery. I may have to use the bathroom differently than others but I now know that it can’t hold me back from accomplishing whatever I may put my mind to.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Cancer was a very emotional and trying time. It affects mental health and physical health very negatively. My mind would go into darkness and despair very often. I wanted to give up on several occasions. I was worried about what people would think when I ended up with a permanent colostomy. Physically I was weak and tired all the time. I had no desire to do things. I worried that I wouldn’t ever be able to race, hike or enjoy life again
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have worked for Prosteel security products since 1996. We are the manufacturer of Browning guns safes. I started out as just a finish grinder but quickly moved up in the skilled positions and was taught to be a painter. Within 5 years I was a shop lead and soon became the Paint shop supervisor. I would have a couple of years where I would become the purchasing agent and work in the office.
After that time I resumed my paint shop supervisor role. I would ask to learn more things and was able to be moved out of the paint shop and moved into an all-purpose guy who would fill in wherever needed in any shop in the plant. I quickly learned how a safe was built from start to finish and eventually we would work to condense all the finishing departments into one department and I would become the Assistant Plant Manager/Finish shop supervisor.
This is the role I currently am in after 26 years of employment. I can run all the machinery at work, and I am certified in forklifts. My desire to always learn and try to move up is why I have achieved the position in the company I have. I have very good skills at learning quickly and finding better and faster ways to get the job done. I am grateful for everything I have learned
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I have an Instagram account where I try and raise awareness of colostomies and share pictures of the beautiful scenery I get to run here in Utah. IG account handle is Ragnar23. I post my training for Ultras on Strava just under my name Aaron Jensen. I am also on Facebook as Aaron Jensen.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ragnar23/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ragnar23
- Other: https://www.strava.com/athletes/74746415
