Women's Running Stories and Starting Line 1928 podcasts, host live recording with Native Women Run Team at Chicago Marathon Expo
Event is free and open to the public
CHICAGO, IL, Sept.26, 2024 - On October 12, 2024, from 4 to 5 p.m., Women’s Running Stories and Starting Line 1928 podcasts will co-host a live show on the main stage of the Chicago Marathon Expo. Co-hosts Cherie Turner of Women's Running Stories and Cindy Kuzma of Starting Line 1928 will guide the conversation with members of the Native Women Run (NWR) team participating in the Chicago Marathon and NWR founder Verna Volker.
“It’s been a dream for me to get our native sisters to major marathons. I feel blessed to connect with people who want to share our stories,” said Volker.
The event will feature:
Verna Volker: Volker, who is from the Navajo Nation, is the founder of NWR. She grew up in the Blanca canyon area of New Mexico, but currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband and four children. She started NWR due to the lack of representation of native women in the running world; her aim is for NWR to create space for and elevate native women runners.
Jessica Louis: A Navajo woman from New Mexico, Louis is a stay-at-home educator who has completed one marathon. The Chicago Marathon marks her second 26.2-mile journey.
Amber Henderson: Hailing from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa tribe in South Dakota, Henderson is a tenured associate professor of management and interim department chair of Finance, Banking and Financial Services, Accounting and Business Law at Northern State University (NSU). The Chicago Marathon will be her debut in the distance.
Angel Tadytin: Tadytin, who is also from the Navajo Nation, works as a school social worker and is part of the NWR leadership team. The Chicago Marathon will be her second marathon.
Birdie Wermy: A member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma now residing in Oregon, Wermy serves as a behavioral health project manager at the NW Portland Area Indian Health Board. With six marathons under her belt, she brings valuable experience to the team.
“We’re really looking forward to talking to Verna and the team about their running journeys, and their motivations to run Chicago as members of the NWR team,” said Turner. “Hopefully, we will get to meet some of our listeners in person.”
This live show offers an opportunity to learn about the Native Women Run organization and hear firsthand accounts from native runners as they prepare to take on the Chicago Marathon. The event is free and open to the public. A recording of the live show will be released as a podcast in both the Starting Line 1928 and Women’s Running Stories feeds.
About Native Women Run
Native Women Run is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering and supporting native women in running. Founded by Verna Volker, NWR aims to increase visibility and create a supportive community for native women in the running world.
About Starting Line 1928
Starting Line 1928 is an oral history project dedicated to preserving the stories of women pioneers in distance running. Through longform interviews and profiles, the podcast chronicles their fight to break down barriers and achieve equality. It was founded in 2020 by Cindy Kuzma, Cara Hawkins-Jedlicka, Freddi Carlip, and Johanna Gretschel and is supported by the Theodore Corbitt Institute for Running History Research.
About Women’s Running Stories
Women’s Running Stories features inspirational running stories told by exceptional women runners. Runners featured vary widely, but they have one common thread: an excellent story about their running life. Each episode is thoughtfully edited and narrated by host and producer Cherie Turner. Turner herself is a long-time runner and competitive masters racer.
Media Contact:
Cara Hawkins-Jedlicka
Co-Founder
Startingline1928@gmail.com
