They have walked enough miles cumulatively to take them to the moon and back. Dedicating half a weekend to their sport is just all in a day’s work for the hundreds of women and men training to walk the Portland Marathon through a unique program called Women Walk the Marathon®.

What began in January of 1990 as a way to entice company on her own walking regime, Coach Ellie Hodder has trained more than a thousand walkers through a fitness program that begins with logging modest distances and ends with a grueling 26.2 mile endurance test. Each year now, hundreds of women and men will submit their aching feet, steely determination and sheer courage to a distance event with its roots in Ancient Greek battle tales.

Nearly all will successfully finish, Hodder says, with bright smiles on their faces and the knowledge they have joined a small group of athletes that commit to rigorous training and the final 26.2-mile event that begins on the cool overcast morning of October 3.

A Life Changing Activity "I am an athlete!®" is the group's rallying cry, a message these women of diversely mixed ages, sizes and previous athletic experience learned from the inspirational sessions with Hodder. Part caring mother, part revival preacher, Hodder motivates these athletes like no other coach, counselor or parent ever before. Most have no previous background in competitive endurance events, and these are the athletes Hodder is able to motivate most, turning them into fit, well-primed walkers that will finish the marathon in an average of seven hours. "Women Walk the Marathon offers these people a way to open doors in their lives," Coach Hodder says. "They begin to see themselves in ways they couldn't before. Walking a marathon is much more than walking a certain number of miles on certain days of the week. It is the ability to find inner strength, to see the world differently, and to summon the self-awareness to accomplish great things for yourself."

A Program Tailored to Individual Needs and Exprience
Casually scanning the faces listening intently to Hodder’s lectures, it is easy to see the diversity of the men and women undertaking this marathon goal. The audience is so mixed there is no way to point to an "average" marathon walker. Some are tall, short, thin, fat and everywhere in between. Most do not have the bodies traditionally thought of as "athletic," which is an important point of Women Walk the Marathon, Hodder says. "How many people of size have ever put the words ‘fat’ and ’athlete’ together?" she asks. "Moreover, how many women have ever looked at their reflections in the mirror and directed the word ‘athlete’ to themselves? These terms are not mutually exclusive. People of all shapes and sizes can be fit, healthy and train for a physical goal&endash;they can be athletes!"

Walking is near the top of the list of most popular fitness activities, and Women Walk the Marathon‘s ranks have swollen to reflect this popularity. In its first year, seven women joined Hodder to explore walking the Portland Marathon, which had previously been open only to runners. Now that the enthusiasm for walking as caught on in the U.S., hundreds of people from the Portland Metro Area, SW Washington and the Eugene/Springfield area attend the group’s first meeting held in January. Over the years, thousands women and men have committed themselves to the training and mindset that will rack up nearly 1,000 miles or more by the end of nine months for each participant.

Women Walk the Marathon athletes will learn how to train for the marathon, from logging countless miles from the mere notion of "I think I’ll train for a marathon" to carbo loading for the final event. They will learn how to treat blisters, sore muscles, and the summer heat that can complicate training. They will become accustomed to wearing supportive shoes and the latest sports fabrics to wick moisture away from their sweaty bodies. And they will love it, Hodder promises.

"I have many people tell me this is the best thing they have ever done for themselves," Hodder says. "The process of becoming a marathoner is a physical, mental, and even spiritual challenge. The accomplishment of it enables people to see their capabilities in a new light."

Traveling the Path is Most Important Not everyone is on the one-year program, Hodder admits. Some will begin the training and for a variety of illness, injury, or life's other challenges, not be able to complete the marathon event. But as Hodder says, "down is not out," and a number of these athletes will return to face the challenge another day. Hodder herself tried four years before she completed her first marathon, as injuries and illness took their toll. But the nine months before the event is the real accomplishment. "The journey is the point," Hodder says. "The medal and finisher's shirt at the end of the marathon are just the frosting on the cake, although, I must admit they are very nice frosting!" Now "I am an athlete!"™ Many of Hodder's athletes agree. It is the belief in themselves that these athletes are able to build, and which Hodder is able to instill that brings some people back year after year. She affectionately calls this group "repeat offenders," as some athletes have become hooked on the trainin and the accomplishmen, and have joined Hodder for as many as seven years in a row. "One of the most exciting things I get to do is watch people discover great things in themselves," Hodder says. "It's just not possible to complete this training and to walk the Portland Marathon, and leave unchanged. The people who came to our first meeting in January are not the same people they are today or will be at the end of the day on that October Marathon morning. It is exciting for me to be a part of this miraculous transformation. I get to watch the process, to know the people and to know that they are forever changed by this experience."

©2001 Ellie Hodder. All rights reserved.
Reproduction prohibited without permission.