Introduced to running a few years ago, Suzanna quickly fell in love with the joy of running and how it made her feel. She’s met a whole new community of positive people, and in the process created her own running community ‘Running Sisters’. But her biggest love? Read on to find out !
Name: Suzanna Barry
Nickname: I don’t really have one. A couple of people call me Suze and I don’t mind that!
Age / Age Group: 50-54
Lives: Echuca
Targeted Sport: Running
Years in the Sport: About 5
How did you get started: My introduction to running was training for Run Melbourne in 2015 as part of Echuca’s Johnno’s Run team. I’d never ran before so I was pretty happy to make the distance after 6 months of training. After this I ran on and off for a few years, and ran the 10kms in Melb and the Gold Coast in 2019. Last year during COVID I trained with my sister, over a few months, to run (and walk) 21kms, something I never thought I would do.
Why I choose CPC: I’ve been in awe of the achievements of some local Echuca Moama athletes that Sarah coaches. When I heard Sarah had moved to Echuca I saw this as a great opportunity to get some help with my running technique and become a stronger runner. I reached out to Sarah and became her first new client in Echuca. 🙂
What I ‘get’ from my sport: Running is a great way to challenge myself and to improve my health and wellbeing. I particularly enjoy running with my sister. We never run out of things to chat about. Through running I’ve met a whole new community of positive people. The social connection has been a real highlight. I’ve also pushed my personal limits and confirmed a favourite quote of Janine Shepherd’s ‘if you never have a go, you never never know’. Prior to meeting Sarah my routine had mainly been to run 5kms, 2 or 3 times a week. Now I love the variety of the CPC training plans.
Ultimate Goal: To run 5kms under 30 mins and to run a half marathon at an international event just for fun.
What I couldn’t live without: My family including 8 month old grand-baby Will
Biggest love: Vietnam! (I’d love to live there at some stage for 3 or 6 months)
Pet peeve!: Forgetting to hit the start button on the Garmin
Interesting fact about me: I established the Running Sisters social media series to inspire others to discover the joy of running. I’ve been inspired too, after interviewing so many driven, strong and amazing women.