Hot Springs will welcome Olympic medalist and American marathon record holder Deena Kastor Saturday morning as the starter for this year's Spa Running Festival.
The running icon's collegiate career took place at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where she majored in English with an emphasis in creative writing, and earned a second degree in journalism. As a Razorback, she competed on both the cross-country and track teams.
During her time at the U of A from 1991-96, Kastor said most of her visits to Hot Springs were "more just to soak," though she said she was "pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it was when I went running through the national park."
"To see leaves changing and the forest kind of drying up a little bit was wonderful," Kastor said, of her last visit to Hot Springs, also in the fall. The runner noted her eagerness and excitement to once again visit the area, alongside the enthusiasm and willingness she expressed in actively participating in the running festival.
"To be able to return to Arkansas, then to be able to start the race during race weekend, is an honor and a privilege," Kastor said.
When asked how she would encourage and inspire new or young runners, Kastor said the best thing to do is to go to a safe place to explore fitness with a friend -- whether it's a track at a school or a grass field -- just head out and enjoy that experience.
Kastor said most people might not like running because it's uncomfortable, but by altering their perspective, to view the act of running as positive physical progress, the exercise becomes a more desirable to do.
"Getting out there and having your heart rate rise, feeling the rate of your breathing increase, feeling your heart beating in your chest a little faster and your legs aching a little bit ... for me, I've always thought of that as the feeling of progress," Kastor said. "I think that in this day and age where we battle mental health issues and where those numbers have become so high, running is a really great way to release endorphins and hormones in our bodies ... makes us feel better, but also to be able to in those moments while we're in our running shoes, to practice positivity."
From a young age, Kastor's passion for the sport surpassed any and all interests in other recreational and physical activities.
"Luckily, I had parents that were very supportive of my sister and I joining athletics," Kastor said. "They thought that there were great mentors and role models in sports. We tried a bunch of different sports and I was really kind of aloof and unengaged in many of them," such as soccer, softball or ice skating.
"It wasn't until I showed up at the track for the first day of practice, that I really fell in love with running. I loved the momentum and the consistency of it ... it was really exciting for me to just always have that momentum going, to continue and to just constantly be moving. It was a love affair from the very beginning."
Kastor counts it as a privilege to have a desire to attempt to push her limits, physically and mentally, on a daily basis.
"The added bonus in all of it, besides trying to extend myself, is that I happen to live in a beautiful place so it is a sense of exploration," Kastor said. "When I travel, I think there is no better way to tour a city, a town, or a trail than to hit it on your own two feet. I feel like it's a beautiful combination of being able to explore, but also being able to gain physical and mental fitness."
Local on 11/16/2018