Sandra Mitusch had three children in five years, which affected her pelvic floor. But she wasn’t going to let that affect her life or her goals of being a sports hero.
A mother overcame “embarrassing” bladder leakage concerns to win a gold medal with the British Masters GB Team.
Sandra Mitusch began experiencing the typical issue after having three children in five years, which impacted her pelvic floor. When she decided to compete internationally at the World Masters Championship, she was motivated to find a better approach to avoid accidents in front of a large crowd.
Sandra was able to achieve just that, helping Team GB win gold in the 4×200 relay in Poland.
“I developed the problem after having kids – I think my pelvic floor muscles were just damaged,” claimed the 61-year-old mother of two. “Although I didn’t experience bladder leakage during typical day-to-day activities, if I pushed myself too hard during vigorous exercise, I’d leak. “I was terrified of peeing myself.
Sandra began running in June 2020, following an emotional upheaval caused by the deaths of three close ones during the epidemic. She used “bulky” pads to attempt to avoid leaks and worked on her fitness until she felt confident attending the Scottish Championships in January 2022.
There she met her future fitness coach, who saw her as capable of competing internationally and advancing to the Masters Team. Sandra had to overcome her concerns about inadvertent leaks, which continued to occur frequently.
She asked, “Can you picture sprinting while wearing a pad? It was quite uncomfortable.
“They’re unpleasant and big, and they often didn’t work for me. To fight the problem, I began hydrating less before training, but as a runner, you must hydrate, so that was not an option either. It was almost enough to put me off jogging altogether.”
Sandra gradually increased her exercise regimen, and she now trains five days a week for up to two and a half hours. With her health in tip-top shape, she was selected for the Masters relay squad after running the third fastest GB 200m time in her age group in the World Championship 200m individual event.
She stated, “I was quite nervous before the World Championships in March of last year since there would be a camera on me. It was an online live feed, and I was terrified that I would embarrass myself.
“I was participating in the 200-meter sprint event and thought, ‘I’m going to have to wear some kind of pad or something like that’. But when you’re wearing the GB kit, as well as the shorts and top, it’s difficult to disguise your outfit.
“So I decided to conduct research and find a solution before competing. I went to the doctor, but they had nothing for me.
Sandra discovered an alternative to the unsuccessful pads she had been trying to treat the problem while investigating online.
She stated, “I went online and found Contrelle, a bladder support device, and purchased it the next day. It was just weeks before the biggest race of my life, but Contrelle was fantastic from the start.
“It made a huge difference running with what felt like nothing between my legs versus a bulky pad.” It was a huge relief to finally be able to run confidently.
“I had the freedom and the confidence to concentrate on my running instead of worrying about whether or not I was going to wet myself.”
Sandra went on to win the gold medal, confident in her ability to avoid leaks. She can now train without embarrassment.
The bladder support device, which is accessible directly from Contrelle.com or on prescription, “stops leaks from happening in the first place” rather than simply absorbing them.
It is inserted like a tampon but acts in a completely different way. Once in place, it helps to maintain the urethra and bladder neck, avoiding unintentional leaks.
While Sandra was only referred to a gynaecologist this year and intends to do pelvic floor exercises to treat the “underlying weaknesses,” she is happy for the gadget.
She went on to say: “It’s given me the opportunity to grow and really push myself hard, which is what I need to do to compete with the best in the world in my age group.”