Wanda Hall Challenges the Speed of Light

This was a series called Vintage Adventures that was published in The Picayune, a small town newspaper in Marble Falls, Texas, that I wrote in 2002. It was one of the most fulfilling projects I have worked on and I hope to return to another form of it again.

Children run because it's in their blood. The inclination is too strong to ignore and in seconds their arms and legs are pumping to an unseen force. As adults the inclination fades in most people and the desire to run reveals itself in extreme circumstances—such as when they are being chased or must arrive to a destination quickly. Besides these situations, most adults are content to lope along at a walking pace, leaving the joy of running to the kids.

 This is not the case for Wanda Hall. She's one of those souls who runs daily to fully experience this life and takes it all in stride—literally.

 Wanda, 80, runs six miles a day and explains how her exercise regime began. "In 1940 I met my husband, Harold, in Brownsville where he was teaching flying lessons.

We married three weeks after we met and the adventure began," she said. "Harold became a pilot for Continental Airlines, so we moved to many places, including Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Saint Louis, San Antonio and finally Marble Falls.  When we moved to California in 1965, we lived across the street from the ocean. One day my closest friend and I decided to run up and down the beach. I was hooked."

When asked the source of her motivation, she replied, "It's just a part of my daily routine and I don't analyze it." It's as much a part of her life as breathing.

After adopting the exercising hobby, Wanda continued on the quest to remain in shape. "One of my friends loved mountain hiking and introduced me to the sport," she said. "We would take long hikes when our husbands were away on long flights. Since then, I've backpacked over 2,500 miles, including all of the continents except Antarctica and I have absolutely no desire to hike there."

"The beautiful mountains and scenery are breathtaking and really make you appreciate the world," she said. "It's the same experience with running - I am invigorated and feel good about myself when I've completed a run."

Wanda's determination has landed her a spot at the Summer National Senior Games - Senior Olympics for the last ten years. "The competition begins at a regional level, progresses to the state level and then hopefully you arrive at the national competition," she said. "I'm in the 80-84 age group and two years ago won second place for the 10k and second place for the 5k run."

In order to compete in the Senior Olympics, athletes 50 and over must quality in the NSGA-member state senior games. The Summer National Games has been held in odd-numbered years since 1987 and has grown into the largest recurring multi-sports event in the United States. Previous competitions were held in Saint Louis, Syracuse, Baton Rouge, San Antonio, Tucson, and Orlando. Nearly 9,000 senior athletes participated in the 2001 Games in Baton Rouge.

"I've qualified for the May 27-June 9, 2003, Olympics which will be held in Hampton Roads, Virginia," Wanda said. "They've got any kind of competition you can imagine, ranging from tiddlywinks to field hockey. It's always a rush to be surrounded by fellow athletes who are older than the society norm."

When Wanda's not climbing a mountain or completing that next mile marker, she's swinging her golf clubs at the Meadow Lakes Country Club. She plays an average of four days a week and has been a club member for the last 23 years. "When we moved to Marble Falls in 1980, I told Harold, "If there's a golf course and a church, then I'll be happy. It's been 23 years and although the town has changed, I'm still happy."

Wanda has been known to push her body to its limits. "I ran a marathon once, just to say I did it. It was tough, but now I can check that one off of my list," she said. "I broke the Statesman Capitol 10,000 record one year for my 80-year-old age group. I ran 6.2 miles in one hour and 19 minutes. And then there was the time that I pulled my hamstring running in 20-degree weather. I got through it because that's a part of the challenge. Running pushes you mentally, physically and emotionally."

Wanda's family members are not avid runners, but have been known to support her endeavors. "Last year my son Roger accompanied me in the Capitol 10,000 run," she said. "He did really well. My family showed their spirit by making t-shirts that said TEAM WANDA and cheering us on from the sidelines. It was a thrill." Wanda has two sons, five grandchildren, and two great grandchildren living in Colorado and Texas.

She shared her philosophy. "I'm going to keep this up for as long as I can," she said. "The key is to never stop once you get going. It is truly amazing what you can do if you just keep at it."

And all of those running kids better keep a look out -- Wanda Hall might leave them in the dust at the next race.