Name: Holly Neill Whelan
Age: 46
Born: Binghamton, NY
Occupation: Castlewood Library Supervisor, Arapahoe Library District
Family: husband: C.J. — furry feline friends: Scout and Deacon
Favorite restaurant: Mama Maria in Boston’s North End
Favorite movie: Pieces of April, Best in Show
Favorite tv show: The Office
Favorite book: Grapes of Wrath, The Poisonwood Bible, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress…oh there are so many… I work in a library for goodness sake!
Why did you start running/walking: I had moved to LA and wanted to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day some way (the beer came later). I registered for the Tom Sullivan St. Patrick’s Day 10K. It was POURING and thundering and lightening. It was a blast!
Running/walking since: 1986–marathoning since 1999
RMRR member since: 2004
How did you learn about the RMRR: Was looking for a supported long run option and saw the Marathon Training Series online. I was nervous I would be out of my league. karen Voss was the first person who talked with me. She was so nice and “normal”. I had no idea she was such a studette runner!
Weekly mileage: 5-40 miles, depending on the time of year
Favorite place to run/walk: Horse trails in Cherry Creek State Park; anyplace that is at sea level
Favorite Workout: one that ends quickly and doesn’t include crying or puking
Most satisfying performance: Every October at the Cape Cod Marathon. I ran LA three years in a row, but didn’t do too much training. When I was turning 40 I looked for an October marathon to celebrate the milestone. I decided on Cape Cod because it was a place I had spent summer vacations as a kid. My husband had also, but we hadn’t been together. The first year, a few family members came to cheer me on. Since then, it has grown into a family reunion weekend, with 20+ members of our family from across the country. I am moved to tears during the race each year (not just because of the pain) because I am so lucky to have such love in my life. My 82 year old father makes Irish Beef Stew for the gang on Friday night and on Saturday night my mother-in-law makes a big pasta feed. Several family members have been moved to start running because of this weekend at the Cape. It’s a wonderful thing.
Favorite RMRR Event: any of the longer runs (8+ miles)–I’m not built for speed
What do you like about RMRR? The sense of camaraderie. Everyone is really welcome in the club, no matter what your running/walking ability. You should really join today!
Other: I started doing marathons because I had volunteered for LA a few times and saw that all ages, shapes and sizes of folks do marathons. I thought “if they can do it, I can do it”. It’s so true. I’ll never be fast, but I PRd 9 years in a row. I love to talk with people who are just starting out, because I was one of those people. ANYONE can run a marathon, you just have to really WANT to. Crossing the finish line is the best feeling in the world. Once I did it, I knew I could do anything I set me mind to. As the quote on my Road ID says “It’s mind over matter”. Don’t ever forget that