Runners
I LOVE THIS PHOTO of my sister, Sarah, and me running together when we were kids. Four decades later, I still remember the moment. I’m 8 and she’s 3, and we’re holding hands, sprinting across the Mall in Washington, D.C., where our family lived for a time. The truth is, I’m pulling her along, faster than she could possibly go on her own. But look at those joyful-jailbreak expressions on our faces. We’re silent-laughing—laughing so hard that no sound comes out. I thought of that photo while reading “My Sister, the Runner?” Writer at Large Steve Friedman’s account of coaxing his younger (and defiantly nonrunning) sister, Ann, into doing a 5-K with him (page 98). I think it’s one of the best stories we’ve ever published. It’s about running the way The Godfather is about the mafia. What it’s really about is family. When it comes to running, Sarah is the anti-Ann. She started in college after deciding on a whim to do a triathlon. She did both all through law school and babies, and now, at 42, she’s the most dedicated and decorated athlete in the family. She’s done four marathons, and although an old knee injury slows her down, she often wins her age group in triathlons and occasionally wins outright. In August, she com- COURTESY OF MARATHONFOTO (RACE) The idea is to work more like siblings, and direct additional time, talent, and resources toward producing more original content for the Web and smartphones— where runners are spending more of their time—while still making great magazines. So look for a Web site redesign and a new mobile app from us early in 2015. Beginning with this double issue, our first, the frequency of Runner’s World will go from 12 issues per year to 11. (Existing subscriptions will be extended by one issue.) We are also integrating the editorial staffs of RW and sibling title Running Times, which speaks exclusively to highly dedicated, competitive, front-of-the-pack runners (that’s the cover of RT’s Jan/ Feb issue below). RT’s frequency will also change, from 10 issues per year to six bimonthly issues. peted in the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships in the sprint division, finishing in 1:19:49. “I never saw myself as someone who could win races,” she says. “But when I turned 40, I decided to really turn it on and see what I could do. I’ve gotten faster each year. We’ll see how long I can keep that up…”
I LOVE THIS PHOTO of my sister, Sarah,
and me running together when
we were kids. Four decades later,
I still remember the moment. I’m
8 and she’s 3, and we’re holding
hands, sprinting across the Mall
in Washington, D.C., where our
family lived for a time. The truth
is, I’m pulling her along, faster
than she could possibly go on her
own. But look at those joyful-jailbreak
expressions on our faces.
We’re silent-laughing—laughing
so hard that no sound comes out.
I thought of that photo while
reading “My Sister, the Runner?”
Writer at Large Steve Friedman’s
account of coaxing his younger
(and defiantly nonrunning) sister,
Ann, into doing a 5-K with
him (page 98). I think it’s one of
the best stories we’ve ever published.
It’s about running the way
The Godfather is about the mafia.
What it’s really about is family.
When it comes to running,
Sarah is the anti-Ann. She started
in college after deciding on a
whim to do a triathlon. She did
both all through law school and
babies, and now, at 42, she’s the
most dedicated and decorated
athlete in the family. She’s done
four marathons, and although an
old knee injury slows her down,
she often wins her age group in
triathlons and occasionally wins
outright. In August, she com-
COURTESY OF MARATHONFOTO (RACE)
The idea is to
work more like
siblings, and
direct additional
time, talent, and
resources toward
producing more
original content
for the Web and
smartphones—
where runners are
spending more of
their time—while
still making great
magazines. So
look for a Web site
redesign and a new
mobile app from
us early in 2015.
Beginning with this
double issue, our
first, the frequency
of Runner’s World
will go from 12
issues per year
to 11. (Existing
subscriptions will
be extended by
one issue.) We are
also integrating the
editorial staffs of
RW and sibling title
Running Times,
which speaks
exclusively to
highly dedicated,
competitive,
front-of-the-pack
runners (that’s the
cover of RT’s Jan/
Feb issue below).
RT’s frequency will
also change, from
10 issues per year
to six bimonthly
issues.
peted in the USA Triathlon Age
Group National Championships
in the sprint division, finishing
in 1:19:49. “I never saw myself as
someone who could win races,”
she says. “But when I turned 40,
I decided to really turn it on and
see what I could do. I’ve gotten
faster each year. We’ll see how
long I can keep that up…”
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H<br />
R<br />
HOW SHE ROLLS<br />
Stephanie Geraghty<br />
runs behind as much<br />
as 125 pounds of kids<br />
and stroller. Here’s her<br />
motherly advice.<br />
Pack Supplies<br />
Bring snacks, drinks,<br />
and small toys to keep<br />
passenger(s) happy.<br />
Check Your Gear<br />
The quick-release<br />
levers on the wheels<br />
of strollers often get<br />
flipped or loosened<br />
when strollers are<br />
loaded and unloaded<br />
out of cars. This can<br />
cause the wheels<br />
to come off midrun.<br />
Check them before<br />
you hit the road.<br />
SOCIAL<br />
MOVEMENT<br />
FORWARD, PUSH!<br />
Military wives find fitness and friendship behind their wheels.<br />
Go Single-Handedly<br />
Holding on with two<br />
hands can leave<br />
you leaning on the<br />
handle bar, a habit<br />
that may cause you to<br />
slump your shoulders<br />
and hurt your stride.<br />
Instead, push with one<br />
hand at a time and<br />
(if space allows) run<br />
slightly out to the side<br />
of the stroller. Switch<br />
hands and sides often.<br />
Stephanie Geraghty needed<br />
a running partner. One who<br />
wouldn’t mind that her pace was<br />
slowed by the 50-plus pounds of<br />
cargo she pushed in a double stroller.<br />
One who wouldn’t scoff at the<br />
occasional sippy cup refill stop or<br />
the inevitable passenger meltdown.<br />
It was fall 2009 when Geraghty,<br />
a lifelong runner, moved to Marine<br />
Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North<br />
Carolina. Her husband would soon<br />
be deployed to Afghanistan while<br />
she settled in to yet another new<br />
locale with her two young sons. It<br />
was her third move in five years.<br />
“I was going to run either way—<br />
I’m a runner, that’s what I do,” says<br />
Geraghty, 33. “But I also needed<br />
friends. It just seemed to make<br />
sense that those friends be runners.”<br />
Her desire for a sweaty social<br />
network inspired her to start a running<br />
club for military spouses—<br />
strollers encouraged. She put a<br />
call-out in an online forum, and<br />
two women showed up for the<br />
first Stroller Warriors workout in<br />
January 2010. Soon there were six<br />
members, then 15. Five years later,<br />
the predominantly female club has<br />
more than 6,000 global members in<br />
18 chapters, based near U.S. military<br />
bases in four countries and Puerto<br />
Rico. Geraghty, who now has three<br />
children, hosts about 300 regulars<br />
at her home base in North Carolina.<br />
Geraghty says the club’s<br />
Geraghty and her three kids (above);<br />
Stroller Warriors often finish their runs at<br />
parks for core work—and playtime (right).<br />
16 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMANDA COURTNEY
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