#71: Mom of 6 Runs 200 Marathons! She Has Tips for Parents, Runners

She just ran her 200th marathon. This 51-year-old mom of 6 is the latest guest on the Run The Race podcast, which we hope you subscribe to! After hearing me sing a WV favorite for the new segment "Stuck in My Head," (3:30) check out my brief race recap for the unique Hatfield McCoy Marathon in Kentucky and West Virginia, which included climbing 3600 feet of mountains/hills, my toughest road marathon and slowest so far. (8:00) At that race, I met Michelle Walker of Indiana, who has 3 sons and 3 daughters, and has run a 26.2 mile race now 200 times in the last 15 years, completing a marathon in all 50 states and 7 continents. Impressive! Later in the episode, we hear how close she was when the bombs went off at the Boston Marathon (10:40) Why does she run so much? (13:27) And how has running changed her life and motherhood? Michelle has 3 key pieces of advice for other runners you'll want to hear. (18:15) Juggling running with life is hard enough, but has wisdom for parents about how she does it with kids that are now ages 12-26. Marathons have become sort of a family affair. (26:41) Michelle also tells stories about traveling the USA and world, giving us some of her favorite places and races! And it's not cheap. (33:20) Faith in God is also the most important thing in this mom's life. She opens up about how that's connected to her family and her running, especially how she incorporates it during those last 6 miles of every marathon. (37:07) She also describes what it was like crossing the finish line at the 2013 Boston Marathon, just 20 minutes before the bombing there. (40:43) Getting faster continues to be her goal. Michelle gives some keys for speed. (46:29) She's also an author hoping to inspire others, releasing a book in 2017 titled "If You Give a Mom a Marathon: Six Kids and a Run Around the World." Check it out. (48:13) We wrap up our chat with her future goals, including 5 full Ironmans this year. (54:15) Our "Parting Gift" is mom-inspired from the Bible and I give a closing Prayer. Thanks for listening! And tell your friends about the #RunTheRace podcast. Also, write a quick review about it. For more info, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.