Stories on Women Runners
Girls on the Run (GOTR) introduces running to pre-teen girls, ages 8 to 13. Mollie Barker, a four-time Hawaii ironman triathlete, founded GOTR International in 1996. It now has around 160 councils in the USA and Canada. GOTR’s mission is "To educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living". Read about the Washington D.C. GOTR program here... WRT's roll call of Women Runners: Aeron Arlin Genet, is a track goddess. Bold, fast, she struts her stuff on a stage where there’s no place to hide. She’s a Running Diva and has the clothes to prove it. With husband Marc, their own clothing line, Running Divas, mixes a serious appreciation for women’s running, with a playful, in your face attitude and confidence. Check out our chat with Aeron...
Luanne Burke is a runner, skier and sculptor. It's hardly a conventional life but Luanne isn’t someone who limits herself. She’s been legally blind since the age 19 with retinitis pigmentosa a rare, inherited disease. This hasn’t slowed down her desire to take on new challenges.
Distance runner, Dedra Croll has a zest for life. She’s warm, caring, quick to laugh and loves running with her women friends. “The best part of the marathon is the training, meeting up with your friends and talking the whole time. You spill your guts out and they know your whole life story.” Here's Dedra's story...
Natalia Espinosa is a young woman who set herself a New Year's resolution in 2008 to run and is now training for the Chicago marathon. She's raised money for charity and her family is her biggest fan club. Natalia's marathon running surprises and impresses others.
Jacqueline Fein began running in her 40's. Three years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As if training and racing isn't hard enough, Jacqueline kept going through chemo and radiation. Together with her running friends she got through those tough workouts. Now Jacqueline is healthy and training for a half ironman. Women runners staying strong. Here's her story.
Not all of us are born athletic. Some have to work at it. For Leslie Gray exercising didn’t come naturally. She actually avoided it for most of her life. She didn’t like it, didn’t need it. Then at 59 Leslie took up the challenge of running. She felt slow, it often hurt. It didn’t come easily but encouraged by her new friends in the running community she stuck it out when others gave up. Leslie discovered a whole new world and a way of life. Now she’s hooked. Here’s Leslie’s running journey…
Laura Haefeli lives in a small remote Colorado town. Away from the big city running scene maybe you can go unnoticed. Laura’s recent win at the USATF Masters Club X-C champs drew lots of attention. One of her teammates was astonished to learn of Laura’s numerous athletic deeds. Laura's a frontrunner, she likes to lead in her races and lead by example in her community.
Mary Harada, if you don’t know her, you’re better off not making any assumptions. She’s not Japanese but her husband of 44 years is. Oh, maybe she’d pass for an emeritus professor which she is, and you’d possibly assume she’s a grandmother and you’d be right again. But she’s no little old lady in tennis shoes. She’s not so old and those are racing flats. WRT spoke to Mary about running and training through the years...
Sabra Harvey took up running in her 50’s and at 60 is now breaking national and world records. On the road and track. She’s dedicated, disciplined and modest about her achievements. Still she’s not quite sure why she took up running in the first place. “I believe things happen for a reason and we don’t always know why.”
World masters multi-event and sprint champion
Megan Lund comes from a family of distance runners. While some families go camping or visit Disney World, Megan’s family planned their vacations around her dad’s races. Now Megan is chasing down her dad’s marathon PR and eventually a spot on the US Olympic marathon team. Here's Megan's story...
Carla Melton's got her hands full. A mother of three, she runs marathons and her own insurance business. And since the 2006 Twin Cities Marathon, she’s taken on more. Getting ready for the race, Carla felt her hydration belt was awkward and too heavy around her waist. So she used her head and came up with the GasCap.
Most runners, pay their race fee, get the t-shirt and cross the line without a thought or care of how the race all came together. Not Tara Melville. As a wife, mother, runner and race director, she’s intrigued with race logistics. Always striving to improve the racing experience for everyone. Tara’s a champion for women runners and kid’s health and fitness. Here's Tara story...
Marie-Louise Michelsohn, loves to run. She’s competitive, feisty on and off the track. At 67, she dares to be different. She’s not looking for easy medals and empty victories. She loves to compete, even if she’s not at her best, chasing times and medals in the sprints, distance and steeple. Read more...
Angie Miyashiro is 5 foot 1 and 84 pounds and looks almost elfin. But don’t be deceived, this woman is a ball of muscle, lifts hardcore weights and can run forever. Whatever she takes on, it’s at full force. Angie caught my eye in July 2009, at the USATF Masters T&F Champs. Who was this tiny, almost child-like woman, with blond surfer hair, a bohemian style, adorned with beads and leather bracelets? Read about Angie here...
Gianna Mogentale is a top masters sprinter. As children we may dream about what we’d like to be when we grow up. For some of us our dreams change, we out grow them or they are never realized. At 45, traveling the world to compete at World Masters Track and Field Championships Gianna is living hers. Here's Gianna's story...
When Sue Nesbihal-Cordero patrolled the streets as a probation officer; she had a gun to back her up. Not any more. She's got different challenges now. She's still not afraid; she’s got her courage, nerve and the willpower to do her best. Sue calls herself “a middle of the pack runner”. But she's far from average. If she stumbles, she bounces back quickly. If she misses a step, she takes another one. And she's blind. Read about Sue here...
Chat to Bernie Portenski and you’ll soon be laughing out loud. That’s of course if you can decipher her delightful New Zealand accent. Bernie’s a New Zealand icon. Since she laced up her shoes at 30, Bernie has racked up 28 marathon victories during her 106 (and still counting) marathon finishes. Like her hero Paula Radcliffe, Bernie’s got plenty of guts and determination.
Linda Quirk, maybe the name says it all. Certainly there was no way to predict the way her life is now. She’s 56, married with three children, and three grandchildren but she’s not your everyday granny. She’s a woman with a passion, with a cause, an incredible runner, and she’s hardly predictable. Another case of women runners doing amazing things.
Sprinter Maryline Roux is a citizen of the world. She was born in the Ivory Coast, grew up in France and since 2008 is an American citizen. In France she was an accomplished gymnast but running was her first love. Read about Maryline's journey to connect with her African mother, uncover her past and her sprinting deeds and dreams...
Kim Sheffield is a tough competitor in both the 800 and mile. But she's warm and friendly always greeting you with a big smile. Kim lives and breathes her running. Coaching boys and girls in track and cross country. She celebrates her races with a glass of champagne. A woman after my own heart.
As a young girl Nicola Tufts, ran with her friends, discovered she had talent and so began her running journey. When you experience success at an early age, it can be difficult to carry that expectation forward. Moving from high school to college, you're no longer the one always out in front. Still, you’re dedicated, training hard, and now have others to push you.
Sharon Warren, is one sprinter who’s fast but keeps on going. Some sprinters just like to go fast, not very far, not often, but fast. Since she was a young girl Sharon’s been running. If you don’t count the eight months after her daughter Tomika was born, she’s never stopped, even competing up to her third month of pregnancy. Want to comment on any of these Women Runners stories? Click on the "Post a Comment" link found on each page. Got a suggestion for our Women Runners section? Contact us at WomenRunningTogether.
|
Here we celebrate women runners and share their stories. Women of all ages and at all stages. From sprinting sisters to distance divas. 
