Bucket list.
Two simple, uncomplicated words with deep meaning to many.
At times, however, checking an item from the aforementioned list can turn something special, unique, and fulfilling – through no one’s fault – into something complicated and worrisome.
In the case of Bettendorf, Iowa’s Melissa Taylor, an amazing wife, and mother of two awesome sons, ages six and four, one bucket-list item remains.
One that, when completed in April, will close an important loop to what has been – and will continue to be – an elite running career for the talented and ever-so-gifted ultra-marathoner.
“(The) Boston (marathon) is a bucket list item for me,’’ said Taylor, who when she is not running stride-for-stride with some of her sports best, is a Partner with Deloitte (Quad Cities). “I am moving in that direction. That’s next.’’
“Next,’’ it must be noted, ran into a roadblock during the (May) 2025 Quicksilver 100K (62 miles) race in California. Running down the side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Taylor who has a 100K and 50K victory, respectively, several top age-bracket marathon and ultra-marathon finishes including a second for the race she was injured in on her resume, caught a rock, tripped, and fell, leading to a meniscus tear of her left knee.
To compete at the level Taylor does, there are times when pain management is part of being an elite athlete in an endurance-and-mind-testing arena. So, Taylor tried – after completing the race and over the next few months – to unsuccessfully work through the pain.
Enter two important people in what is Taylor’s path to the 130th running of the Boston Marathon,
Dr. Kristyn Darmafall, M.D., a tremendous surgeon, and Rock Valley Physical Therapy’s Kelly Kersten, PT, DPT, SCS, ATC/L. Kersten is the clinic manager at Rock Valley’s Blue Grass, Iowa-based clinic.
It was Kersten, a compassionate and gifted therapist and an elite runner himself, who – after Dr. Darmafall’s tremendous meniscus repair work – matched forces with Taylor to get her on the road to the world’s most prestigious marathon.
“As things progressed, the knee was not getting any better,’’ Taylor said of the months after her fall and prior to her surgery. “And a decision had to be made. So, after testing, Dr. Darmafall performed a surgery to repair the meniscus in mid-December (of 2025).’’
A St. Charles North High School softball standout, Taylor first found her footing in the Quad Cities at Rock Island’s Augustana College via a music scholarship. And instead of softball, Taylor reversed course and became an outstanding track and cross-country runner during her time with the Vikings.
Next-level running and Taylor have been constant for decades.
“You can experience all of life’s emotions – pain, struggles, euphoria over the challenge of 62 miles,’’ Taylor said of a 100K race. “I enjoy running and all that comes with it. There is always support, but it’s still you in the end trying make your way through what lies ahead.’’
Post surgery on her knee, Taylor immediately sought Kersten, who had just moved from Rock Valley’s Northwest Boulevard (Davenport, Iowa) clinic to fill a clinic manager’s vacancy in Blue Grass. Kersten’s move would leave Taylor with a few extra minutes added to her therapy-related drive, but having Kersten in her corner was worth an extra few minutes.
“You can’t help but love Kelly,’’ Taylor said of the personable and knowledgeable Kersten. “He gets (the challenge of running), he lives it, he breathes it, and he understands all that comes with it. He understands when and how much to push, which is a balancing act sometimes. Kelly is always motivated to help you achieve the goals that you have. He knew what was ahead of me and how we could get there.’’
Having worked with and understood the dynamic that is an elite runner like Taylor, Kersten did well to craft a recovery specifically designed for her goals. He knew Taylor’s path and was going to exhaust every resource he could muster to get her there.
“He got me back on a stationary bike as soon as I could get my knee to bend enough to make the wheel spin,’’ Taylor said of Kersten. “He understood what I would need as far as strength, stability, and a new base to work from and return to running. Then eventually added in pool and elliptical which I am still doing to supplement limited running. Long story short, Kelly helped craft a recovery program specially designed for my goals.’’
Admiration, it must be noted, runs on both sides of the street between Kersten and Taylor.
“I am a huge fan of Melissa and her husband, Jake,’’ Kersten said.
Jake Taylor, it must be noted, is an elite ultra-marathoner, who has competed – with enormous success – locally and nationally.
“Her goals were laid out before both of us,’’ Kersten added. “Melissa wanted to return to running at her prior level and train for the Boston Marathon. We got her to that point.’’
Kersten marveled, like he has before, at Taylor’s dedication and ability to push forward with all that was in front of her.
“Melissa handled physical therapy just like her training,’’ he said, noting there is an enhanced level of training that comes with the level to which she competes. “She set goals for the different phases of healing and followed her rehabilitation – including blood-flow restriction training to activate her quad – as well as range of motion and strengthening prior to dynamic plyometrics and return to running. She was off-the-charts on her efforts. That, though, didn’t surprise me knowing her background. She is special.’’
Special enough to check the Boston Marathon from her list.
By: Johnny Marx, Rock Valley Storyteller