In many ways, [Kayla] Montgomery\u2019s life resembles that of an ordinary high school track athlete. Before every race, she puts on the same lucky green sports bra and size 5 \u00c2\u00bd racing flats that carry her 5-foot-1 frame. She is deeply involved with her Methodist church, along with her younger sister and her parents, a nursing student and a pesticide salesman. She carries a 4.70 grade-point average and logs 50 miles a week.<\/p>\n
Though examples of elite athletes with M.S. are scarce, some have speculated that Montgomery\u2019s racing-induced numbness lends a competitive edge, especially given the improvement in her times since the diagnosis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe disease has no potential to make her physically more competitive,\u201d\u009d said her neurologist, Lucie Lauve, who also said she did not know precisely why Montgomery collapsed after races. \u201cIf M.S. has made her a better athlete, I believe it is a mental edge.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n