Turnpike Employees Go the Extra Harrisburg Mile
When Pam Hess volunteered to work at a Pennsylvania Turnpike booth at the Harrisburg Mile last year, she was inspired by the runners, decked out in green, celebrating as they crossed the finish line.
“That really motivated me,” Hess, a PA Turnpike Transportation Planning Specialist, said. “I had a plan. I wanted to get healthy, and the Harrisburg Mile was one more mile toward that goal.”
Pictured left, veteran Harrisburg Mile runner and Turnpike Planning and Design Services Manager Joe Sutor poses with Pam Hess at the end of the July 17 Harrisburg Mile.
One year later and 76 pounds lighter, Hess achieved her goal of completing the race along the banks of the Susquehanna River. She was one of the dozen or so Turnpike runners, decked out in green, celebrating at the finish line July 17.
But Hess had to cross much more than a mile to get there.
“I wasn’t just finishing a race. I was finishing that goal,” she said. “Every step I took, I was rebuilding myself.”
And like any journey, it began with a single step.
Soon after last year’s race, she went to a park near her home, jogging a couple hundred yards, then walking, then running again. With the support of lots of friends and family, she put in the time and effort. And day after day through the changing of the autumn leaves to the gentle falling of the snow to the rebirth of spring, she found herself walking with greater ease and running further, faster.
At the same time, Hess worked with nutritionists at UPMC to change her diet, learning the right food to keep in her house and what she should get rid of. How to watch for hidden sugars, how to avoid processed food. It’s knowledge that has become second nature over a year, but like running, it took many steps small steps to get there.
And when Hess finally got to the Harrisburg Mile last week, the unexpected happened. It was 100 degrees with torrential downpours soaking the city.
“I wasn’t going to let that stop me,” Hess said.
Like every moment over the last year of her life, the Harrisburg Mile was just one foot in front of the other, again and again, goal in sight, drawing nearer and nearer until --
She crossed the finish line.
“It felt amazing. It was the best thing in the world,” Hess said. “And I felt so free.”
Free of the things that held her back, free of the extra weight, and free to just enjoy going outside for a run.
Pam Hess (in green) crosses the finish line of her first Harrisburg Mile. (Photo by Skerpon Photography).
Veteran Harrisburg Miler Joe Sutor, who organizes the Turnpike team every year, was proud to see her cross the finish line.
“I don’t know if we motivated her. Pam had her own motivation,” Sutor said. “I get to work with Pam, and I and can see the transition she’s going through. I think it’s great.”
He remembers her laughing, drenched, as she crossed the finish line.
For Hess, the Harrisburg Mile was a goal, but one of many. She hopes to run in more races – longer ones – and plans to return next year for the Harrisburg Mile.
It’s all another step in the journey.
By Steve Marroni, PA Turnpike Communications Specialist