by Colleen M.
C25K graduates. December 2015 I first learned about Stroller Warriors® in the January 2015 issue of Runners World magazine. I was two months postpartum and itching to lace up my running shoes again. When I read that article, it was like kismet!!!! I got goosebumps reading it and I knew that I just HAD to bring Stroller Warriors to Camp Zama, Japan. Our base was very small, 800 assigned Active Duty Soldiers and very limited resources for mommy fitness; in fact, there was nothing on base to support mommy fitness. I researched the website and reached out to HQ to request approval to start a chapter. Starting the chapter was a bit more work than I thought it would be, and that’s awesome because it just proves how well thought out the club is. SW Headquarters has literally thought of EVERYTHING!!! I have even taken some of the SW concepts and applied them to other aspects of my volunteer work, like the welcome message on the FB page, I started applying that to my husband’s FRG FB page and people loved being identified and welcomed in such a great way.
Stroller Warrior babies at the 9/11 relay run. September 11, 2015 What I got back from SWZ is way more than I ever put in. Founding SWZ is one of the greatest things I have ever accomplished in my life! Acquaintances became friends, and women found self-confidence that they had lacked beforehand! Seeing women who could barely run for 60 seconds on the first day of C25K training work through the program and then run 3 miles without stopping on graduation day, well that was enough to bring tears of joy to anyone’s eyes. Endless amounts of pride and joy, that’s what SWZ brought me. We accomplished so much more than I thought we would, given the size of our chapter. The community learned about us quickly and everyone was proud to be a part of our chapter or to join forces with us to work towards a common goal.
Volunteering at the 2016 Kanto Plain Special Olympics. Tokyo, Japan Founding the chapter was a new and different leadership experience for me. It pushed me to really research workouts and, though I’ve been running for a decade now, I didn’t know that much about gear and techniques to tie your shoes and gait. So I would get on the Internet and just look things up and read articles and scour the Runners World FB page to learn and absorb as much information about all things running that my brain would hold on to. These women looked to me to lead them, and that became a huge responsibility that I was so happy and so proud to carry!!!
Thank you so much Colleen for sharing your story with us. You have brought so much light and life into the lives of others through your work with Stroller Warriors Zama!
If you’re a Chapter Founder and would like your story featured please email me at [email protected]! If you’re interested in founding a chapter and bringing Stroller Warriors to your location, please follow these instructions.
Thank You and Happy Running!
Kelly
Thank you so much Colleen for sharing your story with us. You have brought so much light and life into the lives of others through your work with Stroller Warriors Zama!
If you’re a Chapter Founder and would like your story featured please email me at [email protected]! If you’re interested in founding a chapter and bringing Stroller Warriors to your location, please follow these instructions.
Thank You and Happy Running!
Kelly
Before tackling the beast known to all who visit Japan as “Fuji-San”!!! Mount Fuji, Japan. Co-climbed with members from SWYokosuka
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