Meet RUNColumbus team member Kim Hansen. Kim is 52 years young and is married to Rob. They have four girls between 16 and 30’s, four grandchildren, two Australian Labradoodles (mom and daughter Reagan and Miggy), and a cat named Chip.
Why/when did you start running? I started to run or should say tried to run while in middle school but I got frustrated with running in a circle so I dropped out. Then I started to focus on just working out till my first divorce in 1999 when I started to pick up running as a way to cope, to vent, to fill up my time while my daughter was visiting her dad. It stuck and then I started to find 5Ks to run on the weekends I didn’t have her and my passion just started to grow more and the runner high I would get was so refreshing. Not to mention how it kept me in shape. It just grew from there and I have not stopped.
What is your favorite aspect(s) of running? My favorite aspect about running is that I can just lace up at any given time and run. I love the freedom I feel while running. The ME time I get to sort things out in my head. The ME time I get to worship God while listening to my music. To see the beauty of nature all around me so be it rain, snow, wind or sun, or the dark of the night. I also like that I have inspired others to start running because of what I have been doing with my running.
What excites you about being part of the RUNColumbus Race Series and Team? The thing that excites me about the RunColumbus Race Series is that it is new to me. What a great way to kick off a new year with knowing I have more races than I have ever had in one year lined up to compete. Yes, compete. I am far from a competitor BUT I want to compete against myself and see myself get better as the year goes on. I won’t lie I am looking forward to ( a bit) seeing how I stack up as a 52-year-old. I love the racing community and am looking forward to making new friends.
Anything else you would like to share? I am proud to say that I, as I age, feel as if I am running smarter and stronger. I have come from a 4-hour marathon to running a 3:28:08 marathon. I have done Boston six times, NYC two times, and all others scattered throughout my years (Columbus, Nashville, Boston 2.1, held in Holmes county) and numerous half marathons where I have placed first and second in my age group.
I lead a fitness group in my neighborhood where I have met some awesome ladies and have coached one from her first 5K to her first marathon. I have a heart for the elderly as well as students with cognitive disabilities. I enjoy giving back to them. I am looking forward to where 2022 will take me. 2021 has been rough and if you have not tried counseling for any reason I say don’t be afraid to say you need help. Running is therapy but being able to admit you need to talk things through is huge. I hope in 2022 and maybe through this race series, I inspire someone.