In the coming weeks, the stories of the Running Sisters community will be shared in the Riverine Herald. These stories tell the journey of local people and how they became involved in running – from the elite to the occasional.
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FIONA Walker, 34, is an advocate for a healthy lifestyle and that’s why she loves to run.
Fi and husband Ben both grew up in Echuca-Moama and have the heart-warming story of falling in love in their teens.
Following their school days, they spent a year campervanning around the countryside and settled briefly in Cairns.
They then moved to Melbourne for a couple of years and 11 years ago they returned to Moama.
They built a home, got married and now have two boys Archie, 4 and Donovan, 1.
Fi loves many things about running - it’s free, you can do it just about anywhere and all you need is a pair of shoes and a body that is up to it.
A busy mum, Fi is used to running on the fly.
If Donny takes a nap and Ben is home, she will often duck out for a quick run.
Although her favourite distance is 5km, she happily takes the opportunity for a quick 2km or 3km ‘dash’ just to get the endorphins going.
She and Ben will push each other to make time for running, knowing that it's good for them both.
Fi’s interest in running was ignited before Donny was born.
She ran 10km in 2018 at Run Melbourne when she was in the early stages of her pregnancy.
After the birth she found running tough and it took months of walking until she felt comfortable to jog.
Eventually running became a routine and a great way to get in 30 minutes of good exercise and her heart rate up.
Fi often finds herself on the road for Ben’s musical performances and will pack her runners in case there’s an opportunity for a quick jog.
That’s what she loves about running – it’s so convenient.
When they’re home Fi and Ben will drop the boys off for a play at their grandparents and then go for a run together, dropping the pace and chatting all the way.
Fi also enjoys the parkrun community, loves seeing the locals and saying a g’day (in between breaths) to everyone running the course.
She also likes to volunteer when she can.
During the months of social isolation, Fi has made the most of her opportunity to run.
With gyms closed and restrictions on visiting, it’s served two purposes - exercise and a social outing with a friend.
This social contact has been important as Fi was due to return to work after maternity leave, but this is now on hold.
Fi also works from home as a social media freelancer for hospitality businesses and a not-for-profit organisation, and is a writer /editor for The Splendid Word.
This local business undertakes writing projects for a diverse range of organisations and spreads good news stories in our community.
Fiona radiates health and vitality – and running is no doubt part of that good news story.
