BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Debbie Woloschin has been running for over 26 years and recently completed her 100th half-marathon at the Vermont Unplugged in South Burlington.
It all started with a simple goal and quickly turned into more.
“I decided that my New Year’s resolution would be to start running,” said Woloschin, “and then my friend asked me if I wanted to run the New York Marathon!”
From running her first marathon in 1998 to finishing her 100th half-marathon, Woloschin says she’s learned a lot along the way. She took strides that led her to run in all parts of the world, and after her 40th half-marathon, she was inspired to push herself even further.
“I was at a race, and I placed in a race in my age group, and I won a gift of this club 113.1. I didn’t even know what it was. And it was to run 100 half marathons and I thought that’s an amazing goal… I wonder how many I have,” she said.
At first, the goal of running 100 half-marathons seemed daunting, but Woloschin persevered.
“Okay, I’m gonna run 100, and it seemed so far away. And then all of a sudden, I was getting closer and closer,” she said.
Running also opened up new opportunities for Woloschin, including for her career.
“I wound up being a kindergarten teacher – that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gotten involved in running,” she said.
Woloschin also coaches Girls on the Run – a gig that inspires her as much as it inspires her group.
“I coach Girls on the Run, it’s a wonderful group for girls in third through 5th grade. It empowers girls and they’re just inpsired to grow in so many ways.”
Today, Debbie enjoys running with her grandkids and hopes more people become inspired to start running.
“I’ve gotten so much back from running, like the gift of friendship, the gift of health, and the fact that anybody can do it,” she said.
