Maura Hackett

​About Maura

 

 

I was born and spent a good portion of my childhood and college years up north where I was very active athletically. After graduating from pharmacy school in Albany, I moved to Virginia, where I have been since. I started running again as cross training for the cycle rides for AIDS I was doing and discovered that running at lunch decreased my stress levels at work. Eventually, I met Blake [Rushin, DCFR Women’s Outreach Coordinator and Training Coach] at a CARA bowling social, who told me about DC Front Runners. It took a little bit, but I did venture out to a Saturday morning run. Even though the abilities are so varied, I have found that everyone is supportive of each other. I have met many wonderful, fun runners and walkers at these runs and I treasure the encouragement I have enjoyed and friendships I have made with the members.

 

 

 

​Questions

 

You have just completed the 191-mile Ragnar Relay race in Key West, Florida with a team of twelve DC Front Runners. Last autumn you ran another Ragnar Relay that finished in DC. What inspired you to run such a race? It was Claudia Gebert [DC Front Runner] who got me thinking about it when we were chatting at a birthday party. The relay is only about 16 miles per person – and when you break it down into three different legs, it’s not that much. When training, you just have to throw in a second run during the day and another the next morning so get your three runs in within 36 hours. I found a training plan on the Internet that eased me into it.

 

What was the toughest part of the race? Recovering from the downhill was a challenge. I did a lot of training for the uphill so that wasn’t so bad. With the downhill, I felt good doing it but then I felt it the next day because after you get done running you sit in the van for a long time and that limits your ability to exercise. As the legs of the race get shorter, you don’t have much time to walk around because the van has to be there for the hand-off to the next runner.

 

So being in the van was difficult? Well, the upside of the van is the camaraderie. You get to know people you didn’t know very well. You talk about different things than you would after a regular club run. That was a lot of fun

Tell us about your award-winning ‘Fear The Kitty’ logo? That was all Marcel  [Acosta, DCFR webmaster and Ragnar Relay team member]. He has this thing for Hello Kitty and so we built up the team image around that. He handled all the artwork - the Kitty with the knife and the bloodstains. We got lots and lots of comments about that – most of them supportive. We had a great time. And we won two prizes: for best team name and for enthusiasm.

 

Would you do another one? Definitely - though next time we are thinking about getting a hotel room somewhere en route so that team members can get a couple of hours of proper rest.

 

What is your favorite route to run? My most common route is down in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where I work. It’s about a five-mile loop down through the old town and I finish back up near the hospital. It’s very nice. This summer, I would like to scope out some other trails down there near the historic battlefields.

 

Good to hear there is life outside DC! Oh, very much so. You don’t even need a passport to get there - contrary to popular belief.  

 

And how well do Virginians know Washington? I think a lot of people who live in Virginia do not get into DC to see the monuments enough. We make a point every year to come in to see the cherry blossoms and tour the monuments. We especially love the Korean memorial. There’s all this stuff that is in DC and available for us, but you have to make the time to cross the river.

 

This morning we ran in 4 degree wind chill. Do you mind the cold? No. I’ll go out and run in it. I just have to wear more layers – layers are my friend! I’ll also run in 100 degrees in July at lunchtime – it doesn’t bother me. I prefer the 50-60 degree range but some of my faster runs are in the 40-50 degree range.

 

You joined the club, left and then re-joined. How did that happen? I was working for Walmart for a long time. I ended up working too many Saturdays so I couldn’t do the Saturday run. And working so far from DC, there was no way I could get to the night runs on Tuesday and Thursday. 

 

When you re-joined in 2010, did you notice any changes? I think the Saturday run is a little more populated now. Also, every once in a while there’s more women – I wouldn’t say it’s a population boom, but there’s a few more, which is nice to see.  

 

Is there a special camaraderie between our women members? I get along with everybody so I can talk to everyone. But I sort of feel responsible to talk to other women who come because I don’t know how they feel. I think that making them feel more welcome into the women’s part of it will eventually expand them into the rest of it.

 

What would you advise new people thinking of joining? Show up. That’s the biggest thing really. It’s such a dynamic group that is always there. It’s not always the same people but there are always people there. This is a big group and a happy group.

 

What is your motto in life? Enjoy everything that life has to offer. Take it and grab it. If someone throws something at you, take it as an opportunity. Every person that you meet is an opportunity.

 

 

Interview by Brian Beary, Design by Marcel Acosta

January 2011