Stroke victim shares story of how she returned to running

By Eric Seiverling

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

Racing and competing against others helped former West Jefferson Hills School District teacher and accomplished marathon runner Marie Bartoletti push her body and mind to the limit.

But in 2015 — at age 57 after competing in 315 marathons — she was faced with her greatest challenge.

While visiting family in Michigan, Bartoletti suffered a severe stroke after a hole in her heart allowed a blood clot to travel to her brain.

The stroke left Bartoletti so impaired that she lost the ability to speak. After staying in Michigan for four weeks, she began the arduous task of working with a speech therapist to relearn how to speak and form simple sentences.

Five years later, Bartoletti is not only back to running marathons — she’s up to 479 with more slated in the future —  but she recently wrote an autobiography, “Perseverance,” which details her comeback after suffering the stroke that turned her world upside down.

Bartoletti will sign copies of her book at Jefferson Hills Public Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday.

“I talked about doing a book six years ago,” Bartoletti said from her Bethel Park home. “But I didn’t have the time.”

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