Featured Over 50 Athlete – Cherie Eason

Meet this week’s featured over 50 athlete, Cherie Eason, 54.

Cherie wears many hats – mother, wife, grandmother, litigation paralegal, runner, coach. Cherie began running when she was 40 to lose weight and get in shape. From those first struggling steps, her confidence and ability have grown exponentially. She has now run 23 marathons/ultramarathons and completed two 50-mile trail races, the first 50 miler to celebrate turning 50! Her goal is to run a marathon in each of the 50 states, and to stay healthy, fit and running for the rest of her life.

To her running friends, Cherie is strong, determined and resilient, and she is their coach and inspiration. Cherie loves to introduce people to her passion for running and takes joy in watching their transformation. Cherie is always there to support her friends and their goals. This is true whether the support is training for and running a 50-mile race with a friend who is coming back from a fight with breast cancer, or pacing a friend who wants to set a personal best in a 10k race. “Cherie believes in you so much that you finally start to believe in yourself,” said one of her friends.

What has made Cherie such a successful runner? Her friends cite Cherie’s determination and resilience. She faced three attempts to complete her second 50-mile race before succeeding in March of this year. She faced setbacks from injuries, including a broken ankle during a trail race in early 2014. A friend said, “She does not give up in the face of adversity. In my opinion, that attribute is what makes her ‘super-human.’”

Her tip for someone starting out:  just getting started is the hardest part. All of us start out the same – out of shape and unable to run or walk even a mile. Continuing to show up again and again and never giving up is how you become successful in your fitness goals.  You have to put one foot in front of the other and push through your thoughts that you cannot do it … you can do it! Believe in yourself and KNOW that you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to. There is a better you – stronger and fitter than you ever imagined possible – keep working for it and never give up!

For Cherie, “Staying fit boosts my confidence and my energy level and makes me feel invincible!” This saying pretty much sums up her attitude about staying fit: “I’m overwhelmed by the strength of my body and the power of my mind. For one moment, just one second, I feel immortal.”