Turak, Harrison Tackle Half Marathon Together
Ohio County Prosecutor Shawn Turak was preparing Saturday morning to run the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic for the second time. She also managed to rope in her friend, Casa for Children Executive Director Susan Harrison, to take on the challenging 13.1 miles for the first time.
That they were doing it together, Turak said, was a big reason that they were able to conquer the course.
“Having a partner is critical,” Turak said, “because you have someone you’re accountable to. So when we say, OK, Saturday morning, let’s meet at 6:30, then you get out of bed Saturday morning and you don’t stay up late Friday night.”
Turak has run two Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classics and walked five more. She said the challenge of the course is something that keeps her coming back in one form or another.
“I’m an exercise enthusiast,” Turak said. “Running is hard, but I love the mental challenge of it. And with everything I do from 9 to 5 and beyond every day, any type of exercise, particularly running, is a wonderful stress release.
“And this (event) is so challenging,” she continued. “This is the hardest race and the sense of accomplishment afterward is pretty incredible.”
While Saturday was Harrison’s first Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic, she’s a veteran of 5K and 10K races. She enjoys the sense of completion that comes from finishing a race.
“It’s more giving myself a goal,” she said. “Exercise in general, just trying to fit it into your life, can be hard. So having a goal that you set, then you’ve got to get up if you’re going to meet that goal. You’ve to to go to the gym to work toward that goal.”