Palatine woman pushed herself to live life to its fullest

As Margit Mikkelsen was crossing the finish line of the 1997 Chicago Marathon, her sons lifted a huge homemade poster above the heads in the crowd: "Margit, We Love You!"

The race announcer's voice crackled over the loudspeaker.

"Coming in … is Margit Mikkelsen of Palatine," he boomed, "who just five days ago was diagnosed with ovarian cancer!"

The crowd exploded, and Brian Mikkelsen turned to his brother, tears streaming down his face. "Erik, they're talking about Mom!" he shouted, trying to make himself heard.

"All the spectators on the bleachers were cheering for her," said Diane Winters, who was among the close friends and family who got up at 4 a.m. to cheer Margit in her first-ever marathon. "It was such an emotional moment."

Less than 24 hours later, Margit Mikkelsen was on the operating table, blisters on her feet and, at her insistence, her marathon finisher's medal around her neck. The surgeons removed her ovaries and tubes -- and treated her blisters for good measure.

She followed up with nine months of chemotherapy and radiation and for a while things seemed fine.

But she could never completely shake the cancer. Over the next 10 years she had two more recurrences and associated complications. Ms. Mikkelsen finally lost the battle on Wednesday, dying at age 58.

The story of those 10 years, her friends and family say, is of a woman who pushed herself to do more, achieve more and constantly explore new avenues of interest.

Ms. Mikkelsen came to America from Germany when she was 18. After two sons and a 14-year marriage that ended in divorce, she worked two jobs and went to night school, often getting up at 4 a.m. to do her homework.

Eventually she told her sons, "I need a hobby," and took up scuba diving.

"She was a driven woman who set goals for herself and lived life to the fullest," said Winters, whose friendship with Ms. Mikkelsen included years of long, satisfying walks and deep conversation.

Since that first cancer diagnosis in 1997, Ms. Mikkelsen completed 11 marathons and two "ultra" marathons (33 miles). She went scuba diving in exotic locales like Micronesia, Palau and along the Great Barrier Reef, as well as Lake Michigan. She loved snow skiing, belonged to two running clubs and was an avid walker.

Her cancer recurred in 2000 and again in late 2003.

In January 2000, while in remission, she ran the Walt Disney World marathon in Florida, finishing in the top third. In a March 2000 Daily Herald story about that race, she described how she fell in love with running, and how she refused to allow cancer to have control over her body.

"I believe my constant training is what helps me stay healthy," she said, adding that being in excellent physical condition before going into cancer surgery helped her recover.

"Now I tell my doctor I have no time to get sick again. There are so many marathons to run, so many oceans to dive and so many mountains to ski."

Brian Mikkelsen says his mother's motto was, "If you think I can't, watch me."

As amazing as her first marathon in Chicago was, he says her second was more remarkable. Three weeks after her last chemo treatment she started training, and three months later ran the mountainous Honolulu race. She ran and walked, ran and walked, and finished in 5:15.

Services for Ms. Mikkelsen will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, 201 N. Northwest Hwy., Palatine. Visitation will begin one hour before the service.

At the service, Brian and Erik have something to display they've kept for more than 10 years.

It's a giant poster that says, "Margit, We Love You!"