For Catherine Lombard, 74, "working out" was never something she felt comfortable doing from the time she was in grade school.

"I've never been athletic in my entire life," said Cathy. "Sports and gym class intimidated me." 

All it took for Cathy to change her perspective was to babysit her toddler grandson while her son and daughter-in-law were on vacation.

"It was hard for me to carry him around and that didn't feel good to me at all, so I started a walking program."

Cathy began with 5,000 steps on her daily walk and created three different routes to keep things interesting. When the weather turned, she walked at the Chippewa Falls YMCA.

"Starting out, my goal was to walk the equivalent of a 5k. Then it became a bucket list thing for me to sign up for an actual event," said Cathy, who attended her first run/walk in December of 2025.

It did not take long for her to step things up. Cathy's daughter invited her to the 5K run/walk at the Eau Claire Marathon in May of 2026. She liked it so much, she signed up for as many events as she could find, including the YMCA/Northern Wisconsin State Fair Ferris Wheel 5K, held in July.

That was a "hot one" according to Cathy. Her grandson, James, crossed the finish line with her—the two of them running the last 10 feet. Since then, she has attended three more events, and her husband has joined her by riding along on his scooter.

"I'm not doing this to win a race," Cathy said. "They cheer you on no matter when you cross that finish line. And when you get there, you feel great about yourself.” 

Since Cathy started her new routine, she says she has more energy and her mood is better, and she has enjoyed meeting new people along the way. 

"All you need to do this is a good pair of shoes!"