Wanda Handlin of Flushing has been running on the Complete Runner Racing Team for a couple years and is currently doing an amazing job on the Michigan Runner Race Series! This is her first year running the series and has an interesting story about how she recently got into running, so we asked her a few questions to learn more about her story.
How long have you been a competitive runner?
I’ve been running competitively for almost five years. A few years before that my husband, who has run several Boston Marathons, was always telling me I should start walking so one day I finally gave in just to shut him up! I participated in the non-competitive Crim 8K walk and enjoyed it, then later in a competitive 5K walk and got an award in my age group. I thought I could get used to this, so that was my start in the sport.
A few years later I decided to start running and liked that much better. It burns more calories and I can get to my destination faster!
What are a few of your running highlights this year?
This is my first year running in the Michigan Runner Race Series. I decided I wasn’t getting any younger so if I didn’t do it now I never would. With eight races down and four to go, I’m currently (as of the end of July) the point leader in the Seniors Division. I race a variety of distances against women 50 and over, and it is very challenging since there are many fast women out there!
My best race so far this year was the Cutlerville 5K where I had a PR of 21:01.
