Friday, June 30, 2006

Born to run


By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Louise Cooper, a breast cancer survivor, finishes a 250-mile stage of Racing the Planet in Egypt, in 2005.

There is a school of thought that claims a human body evolved from the bipedal ape-like stance to one made for running. To aid in running, our legs and feet tendons are springy. Foot and toe structure allows feet to push off. Shoulders rotate independently of the head and neck for better balance, and skeletal and muscle features make the human body stronger, more stable and able to run more efficiently without overheating.

This evolution came about because we needed to take large strides at a swift pace in order to hunt, I suppose. Not having to do much on-the-heels-hunting anymore, we mostly have given up the practice of dashing after our prey, unless a particularly delicious looking hors d'oeurve passes us by at a cocktail party. Nevertheless, running is now something we do for fitness or in competition. It's exercise rather than survival.

But, as it turns out, there are different sorts of survival.

Ketchum-based writer Shanti Sosienski became a runner in times of stress. She narrowly escaped a tsunami when she flew to Bangkok from an outlying island off Thailand on Dec. 25, 2004, one day before to the horrific disaster. That year, she also went through a divorce. Her running grounded her, opened her to friendships and made her stronger. Her new book, "Women Who Run," begins with a forward analyzing her regard for and dedication to the art of putting one foot in front of the other: fast.

"Some women run for fun, for fitness, for fame, for stamina both physical and mental, because they want to meet people, because they want to change the world," she writes.

Indeed, the book chronicles the lives of 15 remarkable women who are runners. Wood River Valley residents Rebecca Rusch and Shari Kunz are two of these, and their stories are as inspiring as every other. A world-class adventure racer, Rusch invited Sosienski, who was living in Southern California, to stay with her in the summer of 2005. Her visit lasted a blissful five weeks.

"She's very (wild), but she's also so humble and low key," Sosienski said. "I thought about writing a book about her training, food, running and inspiration. I pitched it to Seal Press, which does women's books. They said, 'Great, but just about running and include 18 other women.'"

By November 2005, Sosienski had moved full time to Ketchum. Of course, her full time is another's snowbird life. She is often on the road working as a freelance writer for such publications as Self, Marie Claire, Men's Journal, Elle, Shape and Outside, among many others. "Women Who Run" is her first book.

The book features the stories of Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon; Louise Cooper, a breast cancer survivor and finisher of the grueling 135-mile Badwater Marathon; Kristin Armstrong, who found solace and camaraderie in running with other women post-divorce; Olympic runner and two-time Los Angeles Marathon winner and Kenyan Lornah Kiplagat; Wall Street Journal reporter and Muslim women's activist Asra Nomani; Pam Reed, who ran 300 miles in one run—and Lori Shannon, owner and founder of "See Jane Run," stores for women of average build, like herself.

"These women really have nothing in common except they all love to run," Sosienski said. "It's a core element to what they are and how they gather strength. One is the No. 8 runner in the world. She was tired of being defined as just a mom and a teacher. She wanted something that was only for herself. She shows her medals to her kids now. It's also about aging and how running helps them age gracefully. One is 84 and started running when she was 55. She's since run 140 marathons. It simply takes redefining what running is and what it means."

Researching the book came with certain challenges, Sosienski admitted. Though a runner herself, she is not in the same league as most of the women she highlighted. But when she stayed in Colorado with one of the women she was interviewing, Diane Van Deren, she was woken at 4 a.m. given a coffee and a muffin and dragged off for a morning run.

"I thought maybe five miles," Sosienski said, still surprised. "We ran for 17 miles in the mountains."

This is the way anyone can pick up the habit, she said. Don't look at a watch. Jut put one foot in front of the other, a little bit here, a little bit there, walk, run, jog, five minutes, 30 minutes and the next thing you know you're entering a marathon.

Well, it could happen. Sosienski will be preaching to the choir and others at The Community Library in Ketchum Thursday. During the upcoming summer months, she is off again. This time she's doing a book tour for "Women Who Run" at REI sporting goods stores.

info:

A reading and book signing with Ketchum author Shanti Sosienski is at the Community Library

Thursday, 6 p.m. July 6. It is free and open to the public.




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