Sometimes a person needs to find something that is theirs and theirs alone. For Brooke Hanson, 32, of Chippewa Falls, that something was running. She began doing it for peace of mind. It quickly became a passion.

Last July, Brooke found herself in a stressful job. She was gaining weight even though she and her husband, Logan, were in the habit of taking walks together. With a history of mental health issues from her adolescent years, she knew she needed an outlet or things could get worse.

"I needed something that was all mine," said Brooke.

She stumbled upon "Run Talk," a community of runners on Tik Tok where people post their running stories, times, and personal bests.

"It was welcoming, and for some reason, I enjoyed watching it," said Brooke. "Then it occurred to me that I could run. It's not that hard. It never looked fun before, but I felt this pull to try it out."

Unfortunately, running did not come easy for Brooke. She suffered two injuries at the start, including a hip flexor. But she did not slow down. She kept running—two, three, and four miles at a time. Every time Brooke returned home after training, her son would ask, "Mom, did you win?"

In October, Brooke signed up for her first 5k and things took off from there. She worked up to running a 5k every day, training hard to run her first half-marathon at the Chippewa Falls YMCA Pure Water Days Races the next summer.

"I decided it was now or nothing. It's a 13.1-mile race and the longest I had run was eight miles at one time," said Brooke, emphasizing that her commitment to training was important, but so was the encouragement from her family along the trail. By the time the race began, she had lost 100 pounds.

"I bet I had the biggest support at that race! If not, it had to be the loudest."

Throughout the race, Brooke's parents would show up every mile and a half, taking photos and videos. Her husband, who was out of town at the time, was on Facetime with their four children.

"I could not have made it to mile 3 if my kids weren't there to cheer me on," Brooke said. "Seeing their faces and hearing them shout, 'Go Mom, go!' It was everything."

Brooke was impressed by the goodwill she found all along the trail at the Pure Water Days race.

"Nobody knows what anyone's time is and nobody cares!" Brooke said. "Everyone is just enjoying it all. I've not been to another race like it."

Reflecting on the past year, Brooke can see now how physical activity improved her self-confidence, health and well-being.

"I benefited from the weight loss that came with my running, but the mental release was even more impactful," she said. "I believe it encourages my kids to be active and stay positive. I hope they can see that even though something is hard, and you may have struggles, you can do anything if you put your mind to it."

Brooke's next goal is to take part in the Eau Claire Marathon, a 26.2 course, in the spring of 2027.