Submitted by Frank Healy
“It’s never too late.”
That was the message many received upon hearing from elite distance runner Edie Stevensen, who visited Walter B. Howard Elementary School on Friday, May 31. Part of the Freihofer’s Run for Women school visitation program, Edie brought her message to the school-wide assembly. “I didn’t start running until I was thirty,” she said. Edie, now 69 years old, has been running for almost 40 years. She noted she will turn 70 this July and has no plans for slowing down, just setting new goals for herself. Answering questions from the students, Edie explained she saw a local race near her house that looked like fun.
She started by just running one mile per day, until she knew she could do more. In her first race she won her age group, and that was the start of her long career. A recent accomplishment was breaking the US 12K run record for her age group at the National Championships in Colorado, where Edie lives.
One student wanted to know what her mile run time was, to compare to that of the current WBH runners. Edie explained it was about a 6:20 pace, which drew admiring nods and murmurs from the knowledgeable runners.
A reaction to Edie’s visit was a second grade student stating she was so inspired she ran in the morning and evening at her house over the weekend, and ran her fastest mile time at recess on Monday.
Edie’s visit was part of the Friehofer’s Run for Women School Visitation program, which sends out elite runners to selected schools to promote fitness, goal setting, perseverance, and running. Edie is the fourteenth runner to visit Walter B. Howard, joining athletes from five countries, five Olympians, and numerous Friehofer’s Run for Women Championships.