Freedom runner

On the trail, Pablo Cuadrado Garcia has built a life bigger than epilepsy.

With its honey-colored stone and terracotta rooftops, the Spanish city of Teruel shines like a golden fortress against the mountains. Narrow cobblestone streets wind between shaded plazas, the church bells tolling deep and low. Beyond the brick towers and sun-draped skyline, Pablo Cuadrado Garcia charges up a mountain trail, his soles pound-pound-pounding against the dirt. There’s no better sound. Not to him. 

When Pablo began trail running a few years ago, he took to it instantly. Alone on the trail, breathing in the scent of pine, there’s a total sense of freedom. It’s the same freedom Pablo felt as a boy, ambling in the shade of canopied forests or splashing in icy rivers. Except now, he needs it more. 

“Living with epilepsy, you’re constantly thinking about your health,” Pablo says. “On the trail, all of that noise switches off.” 

Running between 50 and 60 kilometers a week, Pablo mixes it up between shorter and longer runs, letting his feet fly over mud, gravel and rock. Sometimes he takes to the quiet country roads of Noguera de Albarracín, the tiny mountain village where he grew up, though its rare beauty is a painful reminder of all that has changed. 

Living with epilepsy

Diagnosed with epilepsy at 15, Pablo has lived with the condition for half his life. There was a time he could go 18 months without a seizure. Not anymore. Now, tonic-clonic seizures hit every couple of months, disrupting the momentum he works so hard to build. The aftermath often lingers for weeks, a relentless cycle of headaches, nausea, and muscle aches. 

“Every seizure is like a mental reset,” he says. “You start thinking, ‘Everything I’ve been working so hard for is out the window in one seizure.’ That’s what hits you first. But you get on your feet.” 

After a seizure, Pablo turns to his golden Labrador, Fiora, who gives him a reason to step outside, even on the hardest days. Together, they wander country lanes under creamsicle-colored skies or stroll past the Mudéjar towers and centuries-old churches in El Torico Square. 

Though Fiora isn’t a service dog, she has the instincts of one. After Pablo suffered a seizure in the countryside, the dog ran nearly 1 kilometer to the beach, returning with someone to help. 

“When you have epilepsy, you should find something that gets you out of the house, no matter what it is,” Pablo says. “For me, that’s Fiora. She reminds me of everything I can still do.”

Redefining what’s possible

Pablo’s resilience was forged long before epilepsy came along. A daring and mischievous child, he got injured often, only to brush it off and keep going. Five years of taekwondo training taught him the value of perseverance, and he spent countless hours buried in fantasy novels, trying to emulate the bravery of his heroes. 

A gifted child with an extraordinary memory, Pablo always dreamed of becoming a physicist. In college, he switched to engineering, drawn by the field’s many job prospects. Most recently, he worked as a quality engineer at a motor parts factory. The fast-paced role led to an uptick in seizures, and Pablo resigned after a year. Now he’s searching for an engineering position that won’t require so much travel.

“My greatest hope is finding a job that allows me to take care of myself,” he says. “Nothing fancy, just secure work I can count on.”

For years, Pablo lived on his own. With the increase in seizures, he’s moved home. Though life looks different now from the life he once imagined, he continues to challenge himself physically and mentally. He keeps his mind sharp, reading all that he can. And he and his sister, a nurse, have traveled to the Spanish Pyrenees together, climbing rugged peaks and rafting the Ésera River. On these adventures, his sister packs a first-aid kit and rescue meds, never letting concern about seizures overshadow the experience.

Of all Pablo’s adventures, none has captured his heart quite like trail running. In March, with his family cheering him on, Pablo lined up for his first official race — a 24K on the Utrillas Carbon Trail. Winding through Teruel’s historic coal-mining region, the demanding course passed rushing waterfalls, sandstone cliffs, and abandoned open-pit mines that once fueled the local economy. Every ascent was a test of endurance; every vista, a reminder of how far he’d come. 

“Completing the race was an awesome achievement,” Pablo says. “To stand at the finish line knowing I’d done it with epilepsy made the moment all the more special.”

Building a community

Even with the unwavering support of his family, Pablo’s epilepsy journey has been a solitary one. As the condition imposed new restrictions on his life, his friendships changed and social circle narrowed. Over time, Pablo came to treasure his alone time. It’s how he copes. Still, he longs to connect with others who understand what it means to live with epilepsy. In his city of 40,000, 300 to 400 people are estimated to be living with the condition, though Pablo has yet to meet them. 

“People understand well what they see — a seizure — but they don’t know what’s in our heads,” he says. “All those negative feelings trapped in our brains all day long, all that pressure caused by uncertainty, sometimes it makes me feel like a different sort of human.”

A different sort of human. 

Only in the past few months has Pablo begun to ease that isolation. He discovered a Reddit community for people with epilepsy, where thousands of people can empathize with his experience. Hoping to connect with those closer to home, he’s considering posting a note at the doctor’s office, inviting patients to reach out.

For now, he keeps running. One trail at a time. Alone among the pines, he’s found the space to accept his epilepsy. And he’s not done.

“When I’m out there living my best life, I imagine that I’m not epileptic anymore, that I can achieve whatever I want in life,” he says. “Every time I run, I get a little closer.”

Keep the momentum going

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