INSPIRING OTHERS RACE WALKER COMPETES DESPITE ILLNESS.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

On days when basic functions such as breathing, chewing and swallowing are major tasks for Judy Fierro, those around her wonder what possibly could possess her to want to complete the Los Angeles Marathon.

``I had to go to a new primary-care doctor a few weeks ago,'' said Fierro, a Camarillo resident who suffers from myasthenia gravis, a disorder that disrupts involuntary bodily functions, ``and he said, `Do you really have to do the L.A. Marathon?' And I thought about it, and I said, `Yes. Yes, I do.' ''

Fierro, who turns 44 next month, will race-walk Sunday's marathon even though she has had to quit more training sessions than she has completed over the past four months because her MG came out of remission. Fierro was diagnosed with MG in 1985, and when it strikes, unannounced, it saps her body of almost all its energy.

Yet Fierro will be at the start line Sunday morning, an inspiration to those in her 26.2 Club, some of whom don't even know she is sick. Fierro has over 100 ``students'' in the 26.2 Club, which draws its name from the distance, in miles, of a marathon, and she wouldn't dream of letting them down.

Fierro also will defend her women's race-walking title, which she won in 1999 and 2000.

``I am just in complete awe of Judy,'' said Jane Switzer-Meads, a 46-year-old Camarillo resident and member of the 26.2 Club who will run the L.A. Marathon for the first time. ``Just from spending a lot of time with her, I have an idea of what she goes through, but a lot of other people don't.

``When you look at her, she doesn't look sick, and the enthusiasm she brings to running is completely infectious.''

Just three in 10,000 people worldwide are stricken with MG, in which messages from nerve cells to muscle cells are not properly transmitted, causing disruptions in basic bodily functions.

Experts say the condition subsides with rest and worsens with activity, yet when her medication works properly, it's hard to get Fierro to slow down. She's dealt with the disorder for almost 16 years, and only she knows how much her body can handle.

``The way I see it, and what I tell my runners, is that if you only have 50 percent, give 100 percent of that 50 percent,'' Fierro said. ``I've never had to train with the symptoms this intense, but I just can't imagine stopping right now.''

A recreational runner for much of her life, Fierro had her life change one afternoon early in 1985 when, arriving home from work and having a conversation with her husband, Bob, found herself unable to talk.

The MG diagnosis came the following week, and started Fierro on a three-year medical nightmare that included a hysterectomy, surgery for an enlarged thymus gland and a severe case of anemia.

Finally, in early 1989, Fierro began ``to feel like a part of the living'' again, and with medication, was able to resume a normal life, which included running. In the summer of 1992, Fierro met a woman at Rio Mesa High in Oxnard who started her on the marathon path.

``She was kind of a pear-shaped woman, so I said, `Well, if she can do it, I can at least try,' '' Fierro said.

Fierro finished the L.A. Marathon in 1993 despite suffering a knee injury, and returned a year later to finish in 3 hours, 44 minutes, which qualified her for the Boston Marathon, a race she has run or race-walked every year since.

This year presents an even bigger challenge. For the first time since 1989, Fierro slipped out of remission last fall, but has continued with the 26.2 Club, which she founded with her husband in 1998.

``I had every reason in the world why I couldn't run a marathon, but Judy motivated me to do it,'' said Switzer-Meads, who joined the club last September. ``She provides you with all the tools you need to complete your journey, not just physically but also mentally.''

Support from people such as Switzer-Meads keeps Fierro going. Despite her sometimes weak condition, Fierro doesn't worry about having to walk off the course.

``As long as I take my medication right before the race, I should be fine,'' Fierro said. ``I don't see myself slowing down any time soon.''

LOS ANGELES MARATHON

Sunday

TV: Ch. 13, 8 a.m.

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Photo: (color) Despite suffering from myasthenia gravis, Judy Fierro of Camarillo will compete in the race-walk at the L.A. Marathon.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer