Vanessa Shawver became a runner out of necessity. While in college, she started running because she needed to pass her physical fitness test to maintain her Army ROTC scholarship. At that point in her life, running was simply a means to an end. It was something she did not enjoy, but she had to do. However, after career changes, three children, a divorce and a remarriage, running has become a central part of Vanessa’s life. Now she runs because it is something she loves to do. It connects her with her husband, her friends, her children, and her community. Vanessa is now looking to take her running in a new direction as she prepares to run the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon with the Project Purple charity team.
Vanessa grew up as a military brat in the 1970s. She ran around in the woods and rode her bike with her friends, but rarely played any organized sports. Her family moved often, eventually settling in Korea when Vanessa was in high school. Rather than transfer to a new school for her senior year, she opted to complete her senior credits in her junior year so that she could graduate a year early. After graduation, Vanessa decided to attend the University of Georgia as a drama major. She had earned a scholarship to pay for her first year of school through the Officers’ Wives Club, but did not have a plan for how she would pay for school beyond that point. She had several friends who were in ROTC and being around them felt a lot like “home” to Vanessa. Soon, she decided to apply for an ROTC scholarship to pay for her remaining three years of college. Suddenly, the young woman who had never really run before had to run minimally three times per week. Vanessa recalls, “It was bad. I had shin splints. I kept falling out of formation. I got counseling letters. I was injured and tired all of the time.”
Because her military family had a history of attending the US Army Airborne School, Vanessa soon made the school her goal. She knew that the running piece would be challenging for her. She would have to run 4 miles at a 9 minute pace to complete the school. Vanessa thought this could be impossible for her to accomplish. Her father, an Army officer, told her instructor to give her a school date late in the summer and he would have her ready. He proceeded to lead her on runs nearly every day leading up to the school. She hated it, but she kept up the training, often measuring success by simply not hyperventilating or vomiting on the runs. After weeks and months of training, Vanessa realized that her goal was within reach. She remembers one of the first lessons she learned through her running. She explains, “You can’t fall out of the runs in airborne school or they’ll kick you out. During my second week of training, we began to increase the mileage. On the first longer run, I thought I knew where the end was, but the group passed my expected stopping point and started another loop. I completely fell apart mentally, and then fell apart physically. I dropped all of the way to the back of the formation with everyone yelling for me to catch up and I very nearly fell out. The next day, I was terrified, but we did the exact same run. However, since I was prepared for the route, I had no difficulty at all. I wasn’t any more fit than the day before, just more prepared. That day, I learned that so much of running is mental. That lesson has stayed with me.”
In time, through hard work and determination, Vanessa was achieving the highest score possible on her fitness tests. She worked incredibly hard because she wanted to be able to keep up with her male counterparts. Vanessa was commissioned as an officer and became a helicopter pilot, even arriving as the first female pilot to fly with the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colorado, when they opened those positions to women. She knew that the best way to earn the respect of her troops was to arrive as fit and as fast as the men with whom she was working. She worked towards getting her mile pace down to 7:30 and learned to love the challenge that running provided.
Vanessa’s racing career began after she started having children. When she was pregnant with her first son, she gained 50 pounds onto her 125 pound frame. She says, “I felt huge. Running was really hard, but I needed to get back in shape. I wanted to also reclaim a little bit of myself. Running became my escape from everything for at least an hour each day. I needed it mentally and physically.” Vanessa began running races with the Atlanta Track Club and worked her way up to the famous Peachtree Road Race 10K.
After her second child, was born, Vanessa challenged herself by running her first ten-mile race, the Army Ten Miler, followed by her first half-marathon in 2002. In 2005, Vanessa moved back to Colorado, became a fitness instructor, began entering triathlons and started coaching women’s running teams. She found that motivating others was more rewarding than just running for her own goals. Vanessa even earned a spot on the American Gladiators remake in 2008. She had two appearances on the show, winning her semi-final round before losing in the finals to the competitor who won the overall prize.
Vanessa enjoys the social aspect and camaraderie of running with a team. She runs with the Red Leg Brewing Company team for the local Pikes Peak Road Runners’ Fall Series and with the PikesPeakSports.us team which completes the Triple Crown series, including the Pikes Peak Ascent in August.
Vanessa recently coached runners of varying abilities through the local Colorado Running Company. While the team’s ultimate goal was to run the Garden of the Gods 10 mile race, they also ran Tonia’s Run to Beat Pancreatic Cancer, which was a fundraiser for Project Purple. Vanessa says, “I was impressed with the positive momentum of the Project Purple organization and I wanted to be a part of it. We talk about a lot of other illnesses, but no one really talks about Pancreatic Cancer. I started realizing how many people have been affected by Pancreatic Cancer and I wanted to help move the ball forward in terms of research and awareness.”
Vanessa has registered for two marathons in the upcoming months. She hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon at one of the races. While Vanessa has run with a number of social teams, she has never been a part of a charity team in the past. That will change, as Vanessa will be running the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon with the Project Purple team. She has run two other marathons previously, but did not take the training seriously. This time, she has been working with a coach and is focusing on improving her speed and focus.
Vanessa feels that running with a charity team is different from anything else she has done before. She explains, “This is not just people running for fun. These are people who are running for very deep and meaningful reasons. We are running for something much larger than ourselves. It means something to every person who is involved. For me, it’s a way to give back for everything I’ve received in my life.” Vanessa is regularly running 40 to 50 miles per week for her training because she takes the team and her goals very seriously.
Vanessa has come a long way since her early days of running. Running was once just a means to achieving other goals. Now it is something that she does to help achieve mental clarity and become a better friend, wife and mother. Running has become an integral part of her life now and she truly enjoys the challenge. Running helps her bond with her friends, her husband, and her children. Now Vanessa is taking her running to a new level as she challenges herself physically while helping those who have been affected by Pancreatic Cancer.
Please support Vanessa’s fundraising efforts by donating to the link below:
https://www.crowdrise.com/RocknRollDenver/fundraiser/vanessashawver
