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Hannah Webster - From Marathon Runner to Adaptive CrossFit Athlete: Living with Multiple Sclerosis

16 hours ago
5 min read

Hannah Webster is an adaptive CrossFit athlete, writer, and former PR executive who swapped corporate life for chaos somewhere along the Pembrokeshire coast.


Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 40, she underwent a stem cell transplant to reset her immune system — and has been navigating the unpredictable aftermath ever since. She now competes internationally in adaptive CrossFit, despite significant mobility challenges, including foot drop and what she describes as “one good leg on a good day.”


A former marathon runner — with nine London Marathons, two Paris Marathons, and the Médoc Marathon under her belt — Hannah continues to wrestle with the loss of running and the reality of limited mobility, finding new ways to push herself through CrossFit.


Hannah is currently studying for a Master’s in Creative Writing and working on her memoir, Still Standing, which blends dark humour with the reality of living in the uncomfortable middle ground between “fine” and “not fine at all.” Whether she’s training for competition, building a coffee van business, or questioning her life choices mid-workout, she brings honesty, grit, and a healthy dose of sarcasm to everything she does.


Hannah and her husband Neil have recently launched Great Escape Coffee Co. — a refurbished 20-year-old Land Rover Defender serving proper coffee to the Pembrokeshire community, sea swimmers, dog walkers, and anyone in need of a decent start to the day.



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Listen to Hannah Now!

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Show notes

  • Who is Hannah

  • 46 years old

  • Living in Pembrokeshire in Wales

  • Moving after covid

  • Being given a life changing diagnosis of Multiple sclerosis (MS)

  • Growing up in Cheltenham

  • Moving back to Wales for University 

  • Spending 2.5 years travelling around the world 

  • Moving to Spain to work on an newspaper 

  • Always wanting to be a journalist 

  • Ending up working in corporate PR and getting to travel the world 

  • Getting diagnosed just before turning 40

  • Running loads of marathons and half marathons 

  • Running a half marathon and having her legs feel like jelly

  • Knowing that something wasn’t quite right 

  • Going to see the Doctor a few times and having it put down to stress, travel etc 

  • Getting referred to see a neurologist and having an MRI scan (December)

  • Being called for a 2nd MRI (January)

  • Not being able to remember much about the conversation 

  • The shock and not knowing anyone else who has MS

  • 6 years later and still not accepting that she’ll never run again

  • Discovering CrossFit and all the adaptions that can be made

  • Moving to Pembrokeshire during covid

  • Struggling to walk - and walking with walking sticks 

  • Making the best of what you’ve got and not wanting to be miserable 

  • Discovering a whole new world of adaptive athletes 

  • Finding inspiration in everybody else 

  • Starting to write more, starting to blog more and share her stories 

  • Starting to connect with others who had MS 

  • Wanting to make happy memories 

  • Live is for living and not being totally depressed all the time 

  • The community of CrossFit and how accepting they are

  • Getting to the Adaptive CrossFit Games in Las Vegas 

  • Coming 4th Globally!

  • Having 2 dogs

  • Getting sad something and accepting that that will happen

  • Dealing with a lot of fatigue 

  • Under going a stem cell transplant to reset her immune system

  • 4 years old! 

  • Why it’s not promoted as a treatment for MS by the NHS 

  • How it’s meant to work 

  • Having regular MRI scans and hoping that their are no new lesions

  • Having a fight on her hands to get BUPA to pay for it 

  • Having the treatment done in 2022 

  • It’s an extreme treatment with 3 lots of chemotherapy and spending 3 weeks in hospital and having a compromised immune system for about a year 

  • So far, it hasn’t got any worse

  • Recovery as an athlete and recovery from intense treatments 

  • Why there is a mental aspect to recovery 

  • Learning to rest, doing more yoga and pilates 

  • Being told at the start that having MS is like having a battery - you only have so much energy and try to spread it out throughout the day.

  • Making herself lie down 

  • Doing a Masters in creative writing 

  • Writing her memoir as part of her dissertation 

  • Training her mind

  • Sharing on Substack and trying to connect with ‘my people’

  • Feeling better that she’s not alone 

  • Having her rubbish days 

  • Going to Wodapalooza in Miami 

  • Working with an adaptive coach 

  • Why it’s better to have done it rather than not done it 

  • Starting CrossFit 3 years before diagnosis 

  • Dealing with foot drop and poor balance 

  • Trying not to compare herself to who she use to be previously 

  • Getting the balance right with training, listening to your body and managing energy levels

  • Being very stubborn 

  • Trying to be less harsh on herself and show appreciation to her body 

  • How the messages get confused in the body and why everybody who has MS has it differently 

  • Trying her best 

  • Writing her story and having to learn a new style of writing

  • Hoping to get the book done by Christmas, if not sooner

  • Needed to get on with it!

  • CrossFit goals in 2026 and 2027

  • How to connect with Hannah online

  • Wanting to connect to people 

  • Why it might be the best thing that ever happened

  • You're not alone—reach out and talk to people you trust. 

  • Avoid immediately Googling symptoms or diagnoses, as it often leads to worst-case scenarios and unnecessary anxiety.

  • Connect with others who have been through a similar experience for support and reassurance.

  • Remember that whatever you're facing, it's not the end o

  • f the world.

  • There are incredible treatments, resources, and people ready to help.

  • Lean on the people who love and support you—you don't have to go through it alone.

  • Life is short, so focus on finding moments of happiness where you can.

  • It's okay to acknowledge that life can be difficult at times.

  • Give yourself permission to feel sad, frustrated, or to have a moan when you need to.

  • Hold onto hope—better days can still lie ahead.

  • Believe that happiness is possible, even after going through tough times.

 


Social Media


Instagram @hannahjweb 

YouTube - @HannahJWeb

SubStuck - @hannahwebster3

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