An Unlikely Journey: How Linda Robinson Became an Ultra-runner

With the support of her family and community, 60-year-old Danville resident Linda Robinson went from non-runner to ultra runner, and will compete in the North Olympic Marathon in Washington this Sunday.

Robinson, who has lived in Danville for 15 years with her husband and two sons, considered herself a non-runner when a friend asked her to participate in a triathalon in 2005.

"I thought that was hilarious. I was 40 pounds overweight and I couldn't bike, swim, or run," said Robinson.

The triathalon became a project for her and 30 motivated friends. Although she didn't know it at the time, that was when her journey to become an ultra-runner, anyone who goes beyond the 26.2 miles of a marathon, began.

She fell in love with biking but didn't much care for running. She completed the triathalon, and was training for a 100-mile ride in August 2006 when she fell off her bike and broke her elbow. She thought, "what am I going to do now?" and decided to give running another go.

Linda's love for running took her to Tunisia with a friend in 2007, to run the 100K Del Sahara. The 62.1-mile race is run over four days through the caramel-colored sand dunes of the Sahara, with the longest running day reaching a full marathon at 26.2 miles. Robinson finished the 100K of the 2007 Del Sahara in 17 hours and 43 minutes.

Inspired to run the Del Sahara again, and determined to improve her time, Linda signed up to run the race in 2008. She hired a running coach, and committed herself to a rigorous training schedule. This time, her brother Steve met her in Tunisia to run too. Robinson finished with a total running time of 17 hours for the 100K, improving her 2007 time by 43 minutes.

Robinson is still training strong. She ran the Shamrock 5K in Dublin in March, placing second in her age group. And after the Washington Marathon she will be prepping for others, including the Boston Marathon in April 2011.

You'll find her running along the Iron Horse Trail wearing a purple Second Wind running club shirt, or at Crunch Fitness in a spin class, yoga class, or lifting weights. She also runs through Danville on Wednesday nights with a group from Forward Motion.

Robinson says Danville is a great place to run, live, and bring up a family.  Husband Peter Robinson was a marathoner, their youngest son Aaron, 28, is a triathlete, and the older Robinson son, Blair, 31, is very active. Even the family dogs get excited to go for a run.

Fitness is also now a big part of Robinson's professional life. She worked as a program manager at the Discovery Counseling Center until 2005, but in May 2008, she started KeepItSimple Wellness, a company that is an independent distributor of Wellness International Network health and nutritional products.

With all the changes running has brought to her life, Robinson said she has learned many lessons.

"Never say never. When I think I can't, something inside pushes me forward and makes me go on," said Robinson, "I've never felt so good in all my life!"